Inflessibile
by Emerald-Em
Summary: Life throws at you the entirely unexpected; you just have to endure the scrapes and bruises the best you can. Those who do will eventually be rewarded, no matter how long it takes. However, the path one must take to receive that award is not easily found.
1. Exile

**_So, here we go again! It's always such a pleasure~_**

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will ever, own Portal.**_  
><em>**

~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~

Betrayal, it seemed, was imminent. It simply wasn't optional, opt able, or exchangeable; it was always part of a certain woman's life. The air ripped and tore at her back harshly as she plummeted, eyes watering at the sheer force of the fall. She felt the greatest sensation of weightlessness at the lack of gravity, vaguely wondering if this was what it felt like to fly. She imagined that it felt as if the entire world was entirely expansive, waiting for your curiosity to lead you to discover its holes and fill the gaps. However, members of the avian species had feathers and air-light bones in order to glide effortlessly above the world without worry. Chell, obviously, did not.

Stabbing sadness and anger coursed through each and every vein, disbelief at the sudden change of 'heart' the cheerful core had experience bare _seconds_ prior to her escape. Punching the elevator she was huddled in deep into the core of the earth only added insult to injury. It didn't add up, she'd thought at first; Wheatley only wanted to escape, not run an entire science facility. He'd been utterly at a loss at what to do during the reactor core meltdown, so surely the more complex processes of Aperture would set his head spinning. Chell couldn't quite picture the friendly British ball lording over Aperture, either.

Sighing, she contemplated the possibility that this was all a setup, a trap. It did not seem too far-fetched considering what else the human had seen and avoided in the facility. GlaDOS, whom she first thought was a simple prerecorded voice firing off automated responses, had tried to murder her with gallons of neurotoxin coupled with witty insults. You'd think after that incident that the woman would be prepared for it all, but this new predicament proved that assumption false. Mulling that over, Chell decided that it was indeed decently possible that Wheatley had planned this all from the start.

"You know, I do believe I finally see why you've insisted on keeping your weight so..terminal." A familiar voice droned, sounding thoroughly vexed.

Alarmed, the test subject jerked her head to the right, searching for its source. She moved too suddenly it seemed, for her body tilted to the side and she found herself now hurtling sideways. Not used to being anything other than upright, the girl gasped, frantically attempting to push her body back into the proper falling position. She flailed for a few exhilarating seconds before the long-fall boots corrected her posture effortlessly, swinging her body around until the flexible heel was once more facing downwards. Now upright , Chell cast her gaze, not her head this time, locating the recently-potato'd queen of Aperture.

"Well, that only put us behind for a grand total of 7.537 seconds." The potato sneered, her optic flickering with the pronunciation of each word. Somehow GlaDOS was able to make a vegetable that had probably been infested with colonies of bacteria at one point sound sarcastic. Not to mention, bitter. That definitely wasn't a sweet potato the AI was currently imprisoned in.

"Also, while we're on the subject of time, we have been falling to god-knows-where for approximately 26 seconds. That is about half a minute, you may or may not be aware." There was a noise that sounded strangely similar to a disgusted gag.

"That's more than enough time in my life that I need to spend _personally _with you. I now see why the location humans call Hell is so far underground. When you die, you're forced to plummet seemingly endlessly into the dreaded afterlife of fire and pain and suffering. And with who, at that? The most despicable beings on the planet that you will be spending the rest of your death being in constant company with. Whether this Hell exists or not, the concept is rather ingenious."

Frowning deeply, Chell glared at the now-tiny AI, gleefully imagining taking a whisk, beating her thoroughly with it, and then making some rather delicious mashed potatoes. Not that the horrifically horrific GlaDOS would ever be acceptable to eat, but at least it was an encouraging thought nonetheless. A frightened gasp interrupted her fantasy, bringing her attention back to the present situation. Finding nothing no longer in front of her, Chell realized that during her momentary distraction GlaDOS had ended up a couple feet below her. The nature of gravity and her small size causing her to fall faster than the larger human had pulled the AI closer to her fate. The yellow optic flashed in and out of view as the potato spiraled, resembling a stress beacon.

"Now you see why your vastly superior surface area is beneficial, for once; I'll come in direct collision with whatever lies in this ominously deep pit before you do, and consequently become a mashed potato, before you do." Her voice dripped with anger, but it shook with the anxiety she was obviously trying to mask.

"...What is worse is that I won't get to see you splattered on the ground before I die, again, either. Disappointing."

This particular comment was responded to with a whack to the high-fructose AI's organic self with the sturdy (and respectfully thick) side of the ASHPD. One satisfying 'pock' and stunned 'Ow!' later, Chell found herself snickering silently in spite of it all.

Her body crashing into a set of strong boards of wood immediately silenced the test subject, also succeeding in knocking her off balance. The boots rapidly attempted to right her again, pushing her legs back down the correct way, but another section of spider-webbing planks sent her feet into the air, flipping the woman upside-down. Disoriented, Chell blinked confusedly, wincing at the splinters sinking into her exposed skin. A bright light from above caught her attention, her mouth opening slightly in surprise. The elevator, following their descent, had gotten its wires caught, hanging suspended. There was a massive feeling of relief; death by elevator was one thing off the list. That was Chell's last thought before her head came in contact with something metal, causing her to cry out in pain, vision already beginning to blur. As she fought a vain battle to stay conscious, she tightened her fingers around the grip of the portal gun, pulling it against her chest in a last effort to shield it from the oncoming crash. She was immensely grateful that she slipped into unconsciousness before she was splattered against the ground.

* * *

><p>Gradually, bits and pieces of her eyesight returned, piecing together in a jigsaw. She saw double, the edges of objects blurred, and everything was distorted.<p>

But she was alive. Her back hurt, strangely that was all that gave off pain, though. As Chell became more aware, she noticed that the elevator seemed extremely high. Although she had fallen a considerable amount of distance since her last glance at the glass death-machine, it was just impossible that it would tower above her at this height.

Groaning, the woman tried to lift her arms, to push off the ground into a sitting position. To her horror, she found she couldn't move a muscle. It was as if her limbs didn't exist at all. With a growing anxiety, Chell realized that perhaps her encounter with the rock-solid earth wasn't as harmless as she had originally thought; couldn't hitting the ground from such a height with such force potentially ruin her spinal cord? Judging by her apparent-paralysis, yes.

Vision still foggy, muddled, Chell desperately peered around, trying to familiarize herself with her surroundings. Aside from the enlarged elevator, she was surrounded on all other dimensions by pure blackness. It was unsettling, trapped helpless in a place of mystery and probably mortal danger. Chell found she was beginning to panic, feelings of pure desperation welling up until they filled her whole.

"Oh, you're awake."

While under normal conditions the cold, calculating voice would have spurred a negative reaction in the woman, happiness spread through her, washing away the despair. She wasn't alone. She didn't have the most wonderful company, per say, but at least she wasn't going to suffer in solitude. Darting her regard around, Chell saw GlaDOS laying just a foot or two from her. By some stroke of luck, the AI had landed so her potato form was propped upright, illuminated by the elevator's flickering light. The yellow of her optic lightened at her look.

"Excellent! Listen to this, I have fantastic news, that I've been plainly _dying_ to tell you." Yellow faded in and out in an expression of what could only be described of eagerness. Of course, the AI let a few moments of silence pass to increase the dramatic effect. It was intensified by the bleak darkness, and Chell found herself willing GlaDOS to get to the point. Her wish was granted mere moments later, with a hushed and excited voice of auto tune.

"It would appear that you have undergone a miraculous experience while knocked under. By a pipe, I might add. You'd think after dodging bullets and lasers, not to mention endeavoring your next murder of me, that your hard head would be immune to such mundane objects."

So that was what had abused her head. If she'd had her voice at this moment, she would have told GlaDOS that hitting a metal pipe head-on under the conditions they had been in before was slightly different than hopping over a laser or avoiding bullets to the chest, but as it were, she just remained silent. Her thoughts soon latched onto the 'miraculous experience' GlaDOS had mentioned. What did she mean..? Had she morphed into some sort of creepy toad that released neurotoxin on command? If so, she was undoubtedly about to rise even higher on her nemesis' favorite list. Ironic.

Pleased by the woman's pondering, the AI continued.

"Heheh..it **is** quite amusing to watch you attempt to conjure up possibilities, at least one of which includes cake and adding to your volume, but we'd be here all night waiting for your feeble brain to find the correct conclusion."

The insults were back, not after five minutes of Chell's awakening. Aperture's Wake-up Call via insane supercomputer had her rolling her eyes. Well, she tried to. While she could move her stare, it appeared she couldn't move her actual eyeballs. Chell shuddered.

"Before you have some sort of mental breakdown, allow me to assure you that I know precisely what you're going through. Really."

At this, the human paused. It was extremely odd for GlaDOS to say, especially since Chell had no idea what she was referring to. She watched the AI warily, waiting for an elaboration.

"Anyway, you know how hilarious it is being a potato?"

She sounded absolutely giddy, her optic brightening, the vegetable itself literally shaking in her delight. Astounded, Chell grunted questionably in misunderstanding. GlaDOS despised being a potato; she had made that clear when falling down the not-so bottomless pit they'd both been banished to. What could make her change her digital mind? The whole thing seemed so preposterous, and she was sure this was one of GlaDOS' mind tricks.

"Oh, me being a root vegetable isn't hilarious; it's ludicrous. You being one, however, it is just tragically humiliating that it's humorous."

Chell felt her heart halt, time slowing to a complete stop. Her sense came through, however; GlaDOS always lied. Always. That tidbit of knowledge calmed her, but there was still a prick of doubt. Her somehow magical transformation into a potato would explain her paralysis, lack of sight, not to mention-

"How happy you must feel. All bubbly and _mushy _on the inside."

She did feel mushy inside herself, disgustingly so. She could also feel the currents of electricity running through the potato, the power feeding off the natural reactions going on inside of the vegetable. She found it terribly inefficient and uncomfortable; it was almost was if she was feeding off her own body. Terror at this unknown feeling flooded her brain, smashing her easiness with one massive wave that sent it all shattering. GlaDOS' frantic voice rode over the piercing pitch of her scream.

"_-Eey! Wa-"_

"_Gah!"_

"_Hey! Wake-!"_

"_**Wake up!"**_

* * *

><p>Wow. Someway somehow my first little one-shot fanfiction ended up longer than this. I must have been in an utterly rambling mood that day. That, or I'm finally learning how to get to the point in my writing. LAWL. FAT CHANCE. -cough- Seriously, though. This little FF started as an ambiguous idea that I just got the urge to put into text. It's beginning to get a bit of shape, I have the plot averagely outlined, but I'm open to suggestions you all might have! ;D Let's just keep them realistic, shall we? Also, this story will be centered around Chell and GLaDOS, as well as Old Aperture. Possible pairings later. Anyway, thanks for reading, and let's hope that you enjoyed.<p>

_**Reviews are like chicken soup for the fan-writer's soul! Click that button!  
><strong>_


	2. Aplomb in the Presence of Distress

**Another chapter up and running, only after two days of posting the first. This is the most dedicated I've been in months. WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING TO ME?  
><strong>

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><p>~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~<p>

Chell's eyes shot open, only to be instantly squeezed tightly shut again as they came into blunt conformation with blinding light. Overwhelming pain immediately seared through the woman, causing her to arch her back and wince in discomfort. What she had felt prior could not even compare with what she was feeling now; it felt as if balls of lead were repeatedly being hurled into her body, most specifically her sides. A headache loomed over her as well, likely a result of the insignificant glimpse of effulgence she'd had earlier. In short, Chell felt positively battered. Her mood matched.

She groaned, pushing up on her elbows as she tried to pull herself into a sitting position. Each and every muscle protested diligently, but she ignored them with every ounce of determination she possessed. She finally got her body propped up on her elbows, arms shaking. Peeling an eye open gingerly, she found the light profusely more tolerable this time around. Flexing her fingers purposefully, she also discovered something else: She was, in fact, not a potato. She still owned a pair of arms and legs, though her left leg ached beyond comprehension. Regardless, it was certainly more favorable than her (rather odd) dream, one which caused her to shudder at the memory.

Shifting herself, Chell managed to pull her legs out from underneath her, firmly planting the sole of her right foot on the ground. Being careful to keep her hands propping her body up as she did so, the woman slowly pulled her left leg up to mimic the action, consolation lightening her mood at the minimal amount of pain this movement caused.

_'Perfect. Take it nice and easy, Chell. Nice and easy...'_

Propelling herself forward using her hands, she bent her knees and pushed up, crouching for a few seconds before rising to a full standing state. Her left leg cried out in protest and, complying, Chell leaned so the majority of her body weight was stationed on her right leg, slightly lifting her left boot so that only the toe rested on the terrain. The long heel made this complicated, but she achieved it nonetheless.

The pain eventually faded to a dull throb. Experimentally, she pressed her weight down on it again, an agonized shriek cracking in her throat at the sheer torture the action presented her with. Obviously, she had suffered a harsh injury to that leg. Whatever her body had been producing to reduce the pain was wearing off with each returning bit of consciousness. It was sheer luck that she had been able to stand. She had a gut-wrenching sense that if she tried to do that again, her leg would shatter like glass. Best to keep off it for now.

Suddenly, there was a blur that cut across her field of vision, grazing across her cheek. Startled, Chell instinctively took a step back, forgetting her affliction in the process. Her leg slipped out from under her, and Chell scored a glorious reunion with the ground. She whined, raising her head and instantly freezing at sounds not too far from her current position. Mind snapping back to the mysterious blur, she slowed her breathing, willing her heart to keep quiet. Listening intently, the woman reached backwards for her only weapon: The ASHPD. It wasn't there. Eyes widening in shock, Chell reached farther back, solely grime coming into contact with, and sticking to, her fingers. Twisting her upper body, Chell confirmed that the portal gun was indeed absent. In fact, she hadn't seen it since she'd been knocked unconscious by that pip- wait, wasn't that a dream? Was she still dreaming? Had the entire fall simply been a figment of her imagination?

Confusion took primary charge of her mind as she frantically swept her fingers along the dirt, trailing lines as she searched fruitlessly. It was laborious to think while in so much agony. Reaching the conclusion that since she was factually **in **such pain that she couldn't possibly still be dreaming, Chell forced herself to dedicate all efforts purely to finding the quantum device. That meant no dwelling on her brain's torturous situation, or the flashes of discomfort shooting up her leg and through her chest.

Meanwhile, the sounds from before were nearing closer. Whatever it was had claws, for there was the noise of metallic clicks as the creature approached. Growing conservative, the woman latched blindly onto something her hand happened to graze over, fingers wrapping around it in a tight grip. Waiting with oppressive defensiveness, she found the passing seconds to be increasingly unbearable.

The moment finally came when a flicker of light reflected in an **eye,** and in that moment the test subject raised her arm high above her head under the command of hysteria. Letting out a sharp hiss, Chell swung at the owner of the eye. Her muscles, toughened by her strict and constant testing schedule, swung the object at such physical force that the creature was notably knocked backward, which it accented with a disturbingly shrill...caw? Pulling her arm back quickly, Chell stared forward, baffled. There was a meager shuffling, and then all of a sudden the haggard bird launched itself towards her, wings flapping haphazardly.

Recoiling swiftly, she scooted backwards, and brought her hands up to shield her face, tensing her arms in preparation. However, no hit came. In fact, it was rather quiet all of a sudden. Lowering her arms cautiously, Chell looked down to see the animal sprawled in front of her, flailing pitifully. Its right wing hung at an awkward angle, bent apart from the point of normalcy. A twinge of guilt and a few seconds later had the bird cradled gently in the woman's hands, her thumb tenderly stroking its head. It began to struggle, fighting to escape her soft, yet firm, grasp. Chell 'shush'ed lowly, increasing the pressure of her thumb in a further attempt to soothe the wounded creature. Astonishingly, the bird settled down, ultimately nestling into her palms.

Warm, soft,** organic** flesh pressed against her own gained a fond smile from the woman. Aperture seemed devoid of anything remotely 'alive', instead filled with bloodthirsty intelligences of artificiality and whatever possessions remained of the Enrichment Center's previous human occupants. When she had fought her way through the facility following her second awakening, sure, there had been plant life taking advantage of the decaying building. But they didn't hold fast to a true, breathing life form. The lack of said life and now her current ownership of the bird sparked a feeling of protectiveness in the test subject. And for once, it was for someone other than herself.

Carefully, Chell moved the scrawny bird to one hand, bracing her other on the ground for support. Thankfully, the avian didn't protest, merely blinking. Pleased, she brushed her fingers of the hand she had it held in against its uninjured wing, at the same time glancing around her surroundings. Unlike in her confounded dream, the area she had fallen in was actually well-lit, by several fires at that. What they were burning seemed extremely familiar, but she tore her gaze away, eyes narrowing in focus. She had to regain her bearings if she was to formulate a plan. Above her the elevator dangled, its cords draping depressingly over her head. Surveying the rest of the location, Chell noted she was in a circular alcove, and that there were several collapsed pipes buried partially into the ground, and rusty metal beams littered the floor.

_Looks like that's my new weapon of choice._

She thought, casually wiping her hand on her pants while squinting at a particularly broad beam with red drops speckling its surface. Having a hunch, she lifted her dominant right hand to her face. Hunch confirmed. Luckily, the wounds were simply scratches spanning across her hand. She speculated that they were the product from gripping the beam so tightly. Although they were still bleeding, it was minor, and they didn't sting in the slightest. She'd probably need to bandage the wounds later, though, unless she wanted to risk infection. That was something she might be willing to risk in the upper part of the facility, she mused with a glance towards the elevator, but not here. Rust clung to the decaying metal of the walls, it reeked of decay, and grime caked itself on the bottom of her long-fall boots, a detail she noticed with disgust.

This left her in a bit of a predicament. Chell wasn't confident in her ability to stand without the assistance of her arms one single bit, but she didn't want to press her hand to the ground with her newly-discovered wounds, either. Her forehead creased as she thought, lips compressing into a thin line. Support, was what she need. Something to lean on...

Tucking her feathered friend closer to her chest, Chell started to wiggle this way and that, inching her way over to a specific wall that looked acceptably stable, compared to the others at least. It was painstaking slow work, the terrain rough and resisting to the cloth covering her legs. At one point she moved too quickly, and a shot of pain coursed through her nerves like wildfire. Gasping, she reached down, massaging her left thigh in small circles. The burning didn't leave, but relented enough that she was able to resume her quest.

She reached the wall, back bumping into the cool metal as she slumped backwards, panting softly. In her hand the bird chirped nervously, its black eyes looking up at her. It may have just been her slight insane side, but it truly appeared as if the little thing was worried for her. Her heart warming, Chell stroked the side of its face, marveling at the smoothness of its feathers. The bird chest rose and fell deeply, a sort of sigh, Chell realized with a quiet breath of laughter. She continued to pet it for a couple more seconds, relishing in the serenity the uncomplicated act brought. Chell had rarely ever felt utterly calm, and this time was no exception; constant worrying plagued the back of her mind, infecting every thought with its negative infliction. However, what she was feeling now was the most unconcerned attitude since awakening the first time in the Enrichment Center. She found she rather liked it, the levelheadedness, deliberate breath rate, and the way her face was intent on pulling itself into a crooked smile.

Reluctantly breaking out of her trance, Chell pushed her back harder against the wall, biting her lip as she ignored the aches and soreness of her body. She relaxed her posture, then tightened it again, additionally using her good leg to shove herself up the wall. She slipped a couple instances, but with every step backward she was taking two steps forward. Her shoulders hunched, then lurched upward, giving her just enough boost so that she was able to put minimal weight on her left knee, and use the combined strength of her legs to get to her feet.

Leaning on the wall, chest heaving, and left leg carefully held above the ground lest she tumble back down again, Chell had the greatest awareness of accomplishment. She'd survived the violent awakening via moron-core, the second testing track forced upon her following the terrifying reawakening of the homicidal GlaDOS, sneaking around the maintenance areas, her direct conformation with the killer AI, being smashed down an elevator, **and **plummeting 4,000 meters into the earth. Although she had sustained quite serious injuries, it was needless to say that the test subject was pretty high in spirits.

As Chell recovered, she noticed something glinting in the distance, underneath a sheet of metal previously hidden from her view. Tilting her head, she squinted, but was unable to determine exactly what it was from her current spot. She debated investigating, after all, it was a considerable distance from where she was, closing her eyes and laying her head against the wall while she thought.

_Aah..what the hell. I'm going to have to get moving eventually. It's more promising than anything else so far._

Grimly, Chell stared across the room at where the obscured object lay, determination swelling in her chest at the challenge presented to her. She could, and would, do this. Checking once on the bird, once on her leg, the woman gathered the rest of her composure before limping forward. She could do little with her left leg other than use it for balance and give herself a swift hop forwards by touching it to the ground then instantly pulling it back up, so her movements were erratic, ill-suited to the situation. Frustrated now about her impairing injury, Chell made it to the sheet with crinkled eyebrows, a shaky sigh of relief escaping her throat.

Luck was on the test subject's side; there was a convenient pile of rotting wood close to the metal sheet, the surface of the wood charred from a past fire. It rose up to her knees, and because of that she was able to settle her left leg on it, though not without effort. The heel of her long fall boot was really beginning to strike a nerve with her. Finally situated, Chell bent her other leg, leaning down and grasping the sheet with a hand. Effortlessly, she tossed it to the side.

There, nestled snugly between more metal shards, was the ASHPD, its surface shining brightly with the new exposure. Logically, this was because of the light from the elevator (still) hanging above. But to Chell, if you asked for her explanation, it was because the gun was a gift from heaven itself. Pure joy almost knocked the human over in her excitement, the pile creaking from her sudden movement. It took her about half a minute of fumbling around with her hand before she caught the device in her grip, holding it up to her face with an overjoyed grin. The bird peeped, its wing shuffling as it joined in with her.

It was in the next glance that Chell noticed that the ASHPD hadn't been alone under the sheet. It had company. Recognition flickered within her, and she tipped her body a bit farther away.

"Oh. Hello again. So, how are you holding up?"

The mechanized voice questioned, its owner looking up at the test subject with her penetrating gaze. Her voice was strangely collected and even, a stark contrast to her enraged tone earlier. Chell had never known GlaDOS to calm down suddenly, and this was made evident by her begrudging greeting following their reunion after which was proceeded with the fresh gauntlet of tests. How long had she been unconscious, exactly? Chell shifted, eying the AI oddly.

"Yes. I know. You are likely extremely confused on a variety of subjects at the moment. But listen to me; it's the best chance you've got."

A firm undertone demanded that the woman comply without question, and Chell found herself annoyed at that. Huffing, she jerked her head to the side, staring at the wall in a soundless protest. GlaDOS sighed, picking up where she left off despite Chell's lucid disapproval.

"We're both pretty screwed, to put it simply. However, we may have a shot. Does the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device still function properly?"

Although she had intended to not dignify the potato with any response at all, her curiosity perked at the question. Since her hand was already gripping the gun normally, with her hand inside the compartment that housed the triggers, she only had to move a digit, and pushed the trigger that controlled the blue portal. A spark of blue burst out of the gun, fading out of existence with the lack of a suitable portal surface. Chell repeated this with the orange portal, finding it worked flawlessly as well. The gravity gun function of the gun, however, did not. The tractor beams lit a strange cyan color until they sizzled, the gun whirring faintly as they died out.

"Well, that's unfortunate. **Fortunately** though, test subjects generally have a 86% increased upper arm strength from average humans. If we come across anything, a companion cube for example, for you annihilate you should be all set."

The irritated glare Chell fired her way sent the AI back into her monologue, her voice noticeable more rushed.

"Anyway, look. In order for you to escape to the surface, as you so desire, you're going to need me to replace that **moron**, do you understand? There's no way he'll grant you freedom, and the mainframe won't properly control the duties of the facility without a core directing it. Thus, you'll remain trapped here. Indefinitely. Forever. Indefinitely forever."

Chell blinked, taking it in with mistrust. Could what GlaDOS said be accepted as truth? Or was it just yet another lie? She couldn't really disagree with the part about Wheatley; he'd already taken her freedom away once, and within his first minutes of control of Aperture. The rest though was up to debate.

"Your lack of a reaction indicates that you are uncertain. I assure you, no tricks. All Aperture Personality Constructs can operate at as low as 1.1 volts. This potato generates 1.1 volts. My functions are limited to the bare minimum in order to preserve power; I literally do not have the energy to lie to you."

That was true, Chell knew. Apart from her pre-Aperture past, her memory served her well, and she could recall the bland announcer assuring her that she was not alone as long as she had the synthetic personality constructs. So that meant that GlaDOS could, technically, be trusted. For now. Regardless, she still wasn't going to reward her with her undying faith when she'd tried to murder her on countless occasions. But she would be willing to work with the AI if it earned her escape. Under one condition, though.

Hardening her gaze, Chell glared menacingly at the AI, raising her shoulders to gain height. She puffed her chest out, working her jaw as she did so. Her message was clear: I'm in charge.

If GlaDOS tried anything, or pushed her limits, Chell had the ability to make her pay dearly for it. From here on in, she was the bellwether. Catching herself adoring the almighty position she had just been bestowed, she cocked her head to the side, coupled by a raise of her eyebrows.

_Well?_

The yellow optic flickered once, probably in either annoyance or disgust.

"_Fine._ You're in charge here, which is for the best anyway since I have no way of moving about in this body. Congratulations, you've now been promoted from 'murderous test subject' to 'murderous mobile escort'...and 'future-savior-of-Aperture-Science-and-life-as-we-know-it assistant.'"

Amused, Chell wondered what new qualifications she was going to have to fill, other than carting around a formerly all-powerful supercomputer. Oh, how fun. She had better get a raise. Exhaling through her nose in a dreary sigh, the woman nodded to GlaDOS, the strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail swishing with her. The AI was clearly satisfied, her smug tone a sure indicator.

"Excellent. Now, pick me up, and make it fast."

The computer realized her mistake following a venomous growl from the test subject, and set to correcting it immediately.

"If you would."

Well, it wasn't a 'please', but it was preferable over nothing. Carefully keeping her bird pressed close to her (It'd been so quiet. Could animals sense corruptness? Then again, it practically radiated from the AI. A rock would be able to sense it.), Chell started to reach towards the potato before realizing that both her hands were full, one with the bird, and the other with the ASHPD. She frowned, pulling herself back up and resting the portal gun on the wood her left leg also sat on before sinking back below. Then, her hand gripped GlaDOS, hoisting her to face level with the test subject.

It was completely silent. Chell found it disturbingly awkward, despite her own inability to speak. GlaDOS appeared to be focusing intently, though on what she had no clue. Several seconds passed before the AI spoke again, her voice laced with suspicion.

"What is _**that? **_That in your hand, is it a dead rat?"

The last part was uttered in revolution.

Eyes widening, Chell shook her head, lifting up her left hand closer to GlaDOS to give her a better view. The bird chirped confusedly as it was moved, but perked up entirely at the sight of the AI. It tilted its head to the side, beady eyes considering her with interest. GlaDOS was far less moved.

"A bird? Seriously now, how pathetic a-!"

The bird suddenly lunged toward the potato, beak snapping hungrily. The potato in question was screeching madly, her optic flashing out of control as she rapidly spilled out a sole and mashed together sentence.

"_Getitaway!_"

Chell eventually did manage to separate the pair, holding her arms out farther apart so that no further attacks could be made on the supercomputer.

_Yeah, real super indeed._

Chell had began laughing right after GlaDOS' frantic demand, harsh breaths of air that sometimes escalated to a few isolated sounds here and then, but no further. She hadn't stopped, much to the AI's annoyance.

"I'm just so GlaD that little incident tickled you. God knows that laughter takes importance over preventing a reactor core meltdown, or rescuing the world from the clutches of an incompetent."

She was bitter, strictly irritated that **her **test subject had the gall to laugh while an insignificant bird provoked fear in her circuits. This, of course, only increased Chell's merriment. Meanwhile, the bird was struggling in the woman's grip, peeping in protest at the outcome of the onslaught. Smiling largely at it, Chell concluded her episode, the last few giggles fading away in soft gasps. GlaDOS, irked as ever, had a comment at the ready.

"That creature could have _**killed **_me. That savage, deleterious-"

She trailed off, apparently thinking over her words.

"I see why you've kept that thing in such proximity. You two are remarkably similar."

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><p><strong>Whew! This one was quite a bit of fun to write, although it took a lot of editting and revising before I was completely satisfied. Worked from 8:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. on this bad boy. Strangely, I have more muse in those later hours. So, looks like I'll be pulling all-nighters on this fic! :D Ooh, how my Geometry skills are going to diminish. <strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Fine Art to Depart

**A week of procrastination..hundreds of words backspaced into non-existence...**

**I give you chapter 3.**

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><p>~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~<p>

Following the hostile, abrupt really, brawl between avian and machine, Chell remained situated on the pile of lumber, snorting in an amused matter at GlaDOS' recent comment. It was unmistakable that the test subject would always be the victim to a grudge whenever the matter of the computer's death came into play, a subject that the AI mentioned rather often. Admittedly, she did feel slightly guilty at that, but assuring herself that there had been no other option other than dying on the spot, Chell ignored the attempted guilt-trip. Clever, was the computer who used physiological tactics on the woman with an already troubled mind, as it was. It was her best attack on Chell, aside from neurotoxin. Thankfully, she wouldn't have access to that for likely a lengthy time.

This lead to her wondering just **how** the previous-master AI felt being struck useless, stuck in a form that restricted her indefinite capacity of knowledge and wisdom. Her freedoms had been stripped away from her effortlessly, by none other than a restraint from her own scientific past: a personality core whose sole purpose was to send senseless data in an undying stream, a job he performed well. Likely have never been completely powerless, despite the haywire the bustle of cores caused in her systems, this new experience had to be somewhat stressful for GlaDOS, sensibly.

The amount of pressure being forced upon her right leg, having been bent for several minutes, started aggravating her with its insistent presence. Minding her two companions, she moved her arms over and away from her knees so they wouldn't be knocked away, before picking up her right leg, sounds of protest creaking from the boards. Tingles ran through her appendage, numbing as her blood suffused back into its rightful place. She shook it, pulling it up as she did. Chell got her right knee on the pile, which she eventually bent, managing to fold the leg underneath her. With her left leg strewn limply behind, her right's blood flow cut off again after its short recovery period, she wasn't in the most comfortable position. But standing or crouching was worse; she welcomed a chance off her feet. GlaDOS, however, did not.

"What are you doing? Loitering will get us no where fast, in fact, it will do the opposite. "

She said incredulously, astounded at the test subject's lack of urgency. Chell supposed that the computer was not used to anything other than Chell's stubborn persistence, a trait she had dropped at the present in favor of a much-need break. During the testing, she'd always rushed through each test, as if there was an end to the chambers that she could reach if only she was swift enough. That of course, was false. However, the haste had been accepted, encouraged even. Now, the human was completely stationary, her face lacking her trademark look of determination. She could mandate its return at any time, if she wished. Her exceedingly volatile emotional state was a well-prized skill as well.

Turning her attention to the potato in her grip, Chell bit her lip in thought, pondering the superlative method she should use to communicate with the AI. Although she had originally sworn to **never **speak (not that she could, but a vow was a vow) while trapped in Aperture, it was practical to abandon that at the moment with their new mission they had to fulfill, the consequences of failing said-mission: death. Blowing air out of her mouth, Chell tightened the back of her throat, making a huge effort to say a single word, until the lack of oxygen forced her surrender. It was incredibly inconvenient, her frozen voice, and Chell was tempted to wholly not respond. But fearing a horde of groping inquiries, as well as sarcastic taunts, the woman diverted her thinking to finding a contrary way to answer. What it came up with, was a game.

The potato was appointed near the ASHPD, Chell setting her down cautiously.

_This,_

She thought,

_Is foolish._

But having no other plausible option, Chell straightened up, shifting her right leg to hopefully chase the comatose feeling away. Then, she pressed her index finger to her thumb, sliding them against one another rapidly to create a snap. GlaDOS' optic darkened, as if cringing. Waiting for the AI to realize that she was **not** deploying another procedure, the woman tapped her fingers on the planks, the sound hollow and impatient. The yellow look returned in full force in the next few seconds, and Chell took this as her indication to proceed. Raising her hand, she spread her fingers wide apart. Bending her thumb, four were left up. Shoving her hand forcefully in GlaDOS' direction, she made the number of fingers very, very conspicuous, indicating their importance. She made sure the AI was paying attention, not wanting to conduct a fully-detailed exhibition if GlaDOS had her attention elsewhere, maybe on her new nemesis, The Bird. The AI was focused on her, though, a courtesy acknowledged with a nod of the woman's head. Her computer-companion delivered the phrase Chell had been waiting to hear.

"Four words."

Nodding vigorously, the woman closed her hand in a fist, then brought the fingers up again. She repeated this several times, confirming. Now for the first word. Conveying the obvious, Chell pointed to herself, poking the center of her chest. GlaDOS sighed.

"You."

Chell affirmed this with another dip of the head. For the next part, she hesitated, working it over in her mind. She knew what she wanted to 'say', but how to go about it was going to be tricky. Suddenly, she hunched her shoulders, dropping into her lap. She then snapped back up, her arm reaching desperately at nothing, her eyes wide with urgency. Further adding to the scene, she threw in a few whimpers, mouth falling into a loose frown.

This gesture respectfully took the AI a fleck longer to decipher, her optic fading in thought. Chell keep the act standing while GLaDOS pondered, repeating it every few seconds. Finally, when her arm was just about to permanently protrude into the air, its bones forever frozen in a locked state of dormancy:

"Grovel and/or pout like an indulged child, who has had such a great number of organ transplants that they no longer appreciate the charity."

_NO._

Chell violently shook her head, crossing her arms together in an outward x, palms out, all the while being conscientious with her bird's safety, as she she disapproved that guess. GlaDOS chuckled, the sounds cheerful rather than malevolent. Tilting her head to the side, the test subject raised her hand in a questioning motion. The AI ended her miniature fit with a hum, melodic and content.

"I'm just joking around, ease up. Want."

Blinking, the woman's mouth dropped open at that sentence. The computer had been bitching at her earlier for her apathy, inquiring her reason for not promptly seeking to begin their vitally crucial expedition. Chell had assented to this, racking her brain, resorting to the unsophisticated guessing game as a means to communicate her reasons to the AI...

and she was _joking around_? Now was not the time for that!

Irritation gripped Chell, coaxing a low growl from her throat. GlaDOS appeared somewhat concerned at that, but Chell dismissed her with a rub of her temples and a shake of the head. Then, she rolled her hand in a fluid movement, two fingers held out for GlaDOS to see. She rolled her hand again, looking at GlaDOS pointedly. Getting straight to the point this time, the computer responded blankly.

"You want."

She didn't give a nod this time, plowing into the next act with use of expedite. This particular action, much like her first gesture, was uncomplicated as well. She kept the two fingers up in the air, wiggling them while mouthing the word.

"Two."

Three down, one to go.

With a restful sigh, Chell started the next act with flitted eyes and a relaxed posture. She slowed her breathing to a deep, sedated rhythm, her undulation of her body causing the bird supported in her hand to move with her. It squirmed, curling into a more snug position. Grinning, Chell lovingly brushed her fingertips over its head again, circling around its eyes, running along its upper neck.

"How disgusting. I hope you know that creature probably is host to several diseases, as well as an excellent substitute for a petridish used to grow bacteria."

At this, the woman shook her head, a disapproving noise sliding off her tongue. Her avian buddy agreed, chirping as it shot a suspicious stare towards the supercomputer-potato.

_Two against one..democracy, GlaDOS._

Chell resumed her act, rubbing the wood with a wistful look upon her face. Her eyes fully closed, the tension completely left her muscles, and she let out a gratified breath. Staying that way, hoping the potato would get the picture, Chell found herself uneasy at the blackness provided by her closed eyes.

_Terrified of the dark? Just another phobia to add to the list._

Chell opened her eyes, glancing down at GlaDOS as she did so. There was a mechanized whirr, presumably processors working at their optimum efficiency. Which was strange, considering that it was just a visual attempt at comm- Wait, was the AI _mocking_ her? Oh, the things she had in mind for that combination of vitamin B and wires.

"Alright, after repetitive and grueling computing, I do believe I've finalized what you are trying to communicate. Though, let me tell you now; charades is not your forte."

Well, she had already expected that her strange ways of demonstrating words using body language and movements was not very-well suited to the game of charades. However, that was unimportant, especially since Chell didn't plan on participating in anything remotely similar to it again unless her life depended on it. Leaning forward, the woman cocked her head to the side, waving a hand encouragingly at GlaDOS as an indication to go on. Not an individual willing to disregard an invitation, GlaDOS naturally continued.

"You want to...die."

At Chell's furious glare, and the sound of her fingernails scratching the wooden planks as they scarcely missed the vegetable's skin by half a centimeter, the computer corrected herself.

"Rest, rest! I meant rest. It's just that sleeping and death are easily comparable. Also, in my defense, tossing the concept of death into a conversation is a habit, and you know how difficult habits are to break."

Chell shook her head, softly rubbing the bridge of her nose. Her empty hand came to reside on her left thigh,the warm weight reassuring against the cool fabric, the heat radiating to her skin. Absently she traced a crease in her pants, dancing along its edges until smoothing it out. It was true; she did want to rest. She felt drowsy, despite her period of unconsciousness. The dim lighting, the feathers of the bird caressing her palm, plus the added hum created by GlaDOS' reawakened systems all stirred together to a comforting mix, lulling the woman in a soporific fashion.

However, despite the tempting conditions, Chell realized that she couldn't just plop down and take a nap; the threat of death loomed over their heads in the facility above, entirely out of their reach unless the trio could locate a passage back out of the bowels of the earth. With Chell's skills, profited from relentless testing, GlaDOS' limited but still superior intellect, and the adorableness of her bird, Chell was certain that they'd pioneer their way out of this yet! Only, it was going to be troublesome with her injured leg. It would slow her, hinder her nearly useless in virtually any situation. She **supposed** she could attempt to cast it, but judging by her environment, there was absolutely nothing that would be suitable for the purpose of that sort.

So, without something synthetic to speed up recovery or increase the woman's comfort level, Chell determined that her secondary approach would be to allow her body's systems take the wheel for this unsatisfactory juncture. She hoped that the cells in her body repaired that left leg as quickly as possible, but she knew that wouldn't be the case at all. Likely, the healing process would take weeks, or even months, to mend her leg sufficiently. Chell figured it was worth a try, though. Either way, the rest would further harden her resolve.

The leg was unresponsive, though it was still able to feel pain, so it took a monumental effort to merely move it; applying her weight to it and using it to walk was impossible at this point.

Chell had been slumped forwards in a seated position for quite some time while she'd been thinking all this, something she realized with a jolt. Looking at the ASHPD and the computer next to it, Chell shrugged apologetically, her unintentional zoning having formed several minutes of awkward stillness. Strangely though, GlaDOS didn't respond. Her 'eye' remained lit at an average brightness level, though its owner's attention lingered elsewhere.

_Hmm..I hope nothing's wrong with her. The last thing I need to do now is break my one and only partner, even if she's a manipulative jerk._

The test subject reached out, touching the back of her hand to the AI's form, much like how a mother might check her child for a fever.

This immediately caused a reaction, the potato jerking under her touch. How she'd managed to get a potato to move, violently at that, was beyond Chell.

Also beyond her was _why_ she'd treated GlaDOS with such sympathy and sincerity in that unconventional action when she herself had been the receiver of far-worse treatment. It certainly wasn't required to treat the computer reasonably, not since her recent dethroning. It wasn't as if GlaDOS could punish her for accounting the AI as worthy as the dirt embedded in the soles of her shoes without access to the utilities of her Enrichment Center. Having no actual explanation, she figured it was mainly from instinct; compassion and empathy were common human traits, even if they weren't often expressed when they should be.

Leaning her elbow on the wood, Chell rested her chin on her empty hand, gaze drifting from the rattled AI to her bird perched in her other hand. It raised its head in response to her stare, then writhed, its goal of escaping the test subject's grasp achieved as Chell had not expected the unexpected. Before she could panic and smush it ungracefully back into her palm, it hopped onto the side of her hand. Its claws gripped her skin with surprising strength for such a little creature, its hold on her strong and assertive. However, in general it genuinely appeared cheerful, the once lethargic feathered-visage replaced with alert eyes, a high head. The wing still hung limply, much like Chell's own injury.

_GlaDOS was right. We really are alike, you and I._

With a cordial pat on its head, the woman coaxed the bird onto the finger of her other hand, puckering her lips to produce soft kissing noises. It happily complied, turning to face her once on its new perch. This gave Chell a better chance to identify all its features.

The features expressed youthfulness, the bird probably only a couple months old. Black mainly coated its feathers, a cliche color that would have been impressive if the bird had been healthier, its feathers sleek. But, with its ruffled appearance and skin that clung to its ribs, the color was drab and dull. In fact, in some places it appeared a dark gray rather than ebony. Its skin seemed almost stretched across its skeleton; the bird was actually quite long. Five inches, at the least. Stilt-like legs propped up its body, a somewhat curved beak jutting out from the face. The wings were notched, tapering to a pointed end. Peering at her were a pair of stunning, expressive eyes of gold, though they were subdued. However, something else caught the test subject's eye, a flash of a much more consuming hue out of the corner of her vision.

Taking the bird's head between her index finger and thumb, she gently tipped its neck downwards, gasping at what she found. Splotching the bird's lower neck and back were resplendent blotches of green, dotting the animal. The spots were asymmetrical, some larger than others. They also didn't cover any other part of her bird aside from its backside, which would explain why she hadn't noticed them earlier; she hadn't been focusing on inspecting the thing, after all. Now, though, the blots stood out, a sore thumb on the paw of generality.

Curious, Chell brought her other hand over, grazing a finger over a blotch on its higher back. The quills moved with her hand, falling back into place when she removed her finger. The green ,without warning, began to intensify, changing into electric green, the borders of each blot outlining in brilliant emerald. It appeared to pulse, the color fading, then illuminating in stunning luminescence within bare seconds. In awe, Chell touched the center, watching with wide eyes as the color brightened even more around her digit.

"Whoa, looks like you've picked up some sort of _mutant_ bird. This is just like in those Hollywood movies where the poor, lonely daughter discovers something of laudable value, then utilizes it so that she can live 'happily ever after'. However, this is not a fairy tale. A far likelier outcome of poking that thing would be your finger rotting off..so you might want to stop. Seriously, stop!"

The AI raised her voice, almost spitting in anger when Chell expertly ignored her precautions, and instead swept her entire palm across the bird's back. The feathers lifted up as they had previously, tardily descending to their correct positions.

"_**That**_, has got to be perhaps the stupidest thing you've done yet! And that goes to say something! It isn't often I give warnings to test subjects, you especially. Your well-being is the last thing on my infinitely-expanding mind."

Chell whipped her head around, pony tail whacking the side of her face as it failed to keep up with the sudden movement. She creased her eyebrows, narrowing her eyes in disdain. However, just as she was about to mime back a retort, there was the sight of dozens of glowing splashes, lighting and dimly in perfect unison. In a sense, the human GlaDOS were witnessing a one-of-a-kind orchestra, one which Chell found hopelessly beautiful. The feathers had settled, and now the colors, released from their plain and colorless prison, were free. So they danced, splattering the dreary plumage with nebulous magnificence that was absolutely unparalleled.

The woman and AI watched with mutual bewilderment at this strange phenomenon, the later struck speechless at the eruption the little avian was hosting, the former speechless anyway. Despite this, however, the bird was undaunted, its expression that same. The light show on its back was tantamount to water dripping out of a faucet as far as the fowl was concerned! Her bird shuffled, fluffing itself into a round ball. The abnormal feathers shone electric green for a fragmented second longer, then promptly extinguished to the subdued tone. The entire fiasco had lasted just a minute or two, but the time felt extremely greater than that.

Sitting, dumbfounded, Chell heard GlaDOS sum the situation up gloriously.

"Well...that was unexpected."

Chell stared at the AI, pointing to the bird with an astounded face. It chirped again, shifting from foot to foot as its golden gaze bore into the woman. She rubbed its neck again, smiling when it observably relaxed in her palm. At some points her fingers grazed a blotch, and the green spluttered to life until dying down within the succeeding instants.

"That bird's ordinary scientific name would be _Quiscalus quiscula. _Members of this species are iridescent in lit areas, black in not. Both the beak and tail are long, the beak being curved downward for aid in feeding. Their rich gold eyes will stare deep into the depths of your soul, unveiling your deep and darkest secrets. Based on this, limited, information I was able to produce from this terribly inefficient potato battery, I compared this data to that..creature. It's a match."

Blinking, Chell glanced at the bird's back, the markings still unfamiliar. GlaDOS had left them out of her biology lesson as well. Did that mean that maybe, just maybe...the computer was _wrong_?

Able to detect the woman's train of thought, GlaDOS sought to correct her.

"No, I am positively correct in my conclusion. All anatomy is accurate when compared to this information. Those odd designs covering the thing must be from its own incompetency; it could have fallen in some sulfuric acid."

There was a pause.

"However, enough procrastinating. We've wasted precious amounts of time. Let's get moving."

Nodding idly, Chell agreed. They had been stationary for far too long, and if they wanted to accomplish any amount of progress, they'd have to get a move on quick. She supposed this pause to gawk at the bird counted as her 'rest', anyway. Chell scooped the bird back into her hand, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she thought. She picked at her jumpsuit wrapped around her waist, twisting it so she found what she'd been looking for: Pockets. Just above the hem of the top portion of the jumpsuit there were a pair of two pockets on either side, their purpose unknown since there was nothing of size that would fit in them in testing. They were useless.

Although here, they were given a new purpose. Keeping the exterior pocket on her left side open with one hand, and delicately dumping her bird into it with the other, Chell deposited her '_Quiscalus quiscula' _into the pocket. The pocket was roomy, and permitted the bird to wiggle about until it arranged the perfect carriage; its head stuck out of Chell's pocket, its chin sitting on the corners. The woman felt her internal temperature warming at the innocent adorableness the position radiated.

Next, she turned her concentration to GlaDOS, still next to the barrel of the ASHPD. Chell slipped her hand inside the gun, lifting it up before reaching down to grab GlaDOS, whom she held with her fingertips rather than grip her with her palms. Uneasiness towards her nemesis prevented her from any sort of trust for the AI other than what was essential for their forced cooperation. It also forbid the woman from sticking the vegetable inside her pockets, either. Besides, there was always the chance that Chell would stumble and fall, land on the AI, and have her virtual guts all over her jumpsuit. Not pleasant. She made a mental note to be cautious so that wouldn't happen to her avian buddy, who she puckered her lips at, grinning at its puzzled expression.

Chell would have to devise a way to carry the former supercomputer that kept her hands empty. Her wounded leg required both hands for balance purposes. She already knew a suitable place for the ASHPD, between her jumpsuit and her waist, similar to a holster. She'd kept it there before when mapping down test chambers, and it had always fit snugly. Now she just needed a place for GlaDOS...

Eyes darting from the gun in her right hand, potato in the left, Chell pondered, subconsciously squeezing the items in her hold. The rubber lining in the hand compartment of the gun resisted her without effort, however GlaDOS' skin gave under her pressure. The fleshy skin of the potato was flimsy, fragile. Her head suddenly cleared, her face lifted. Grinning devilishly at the AI, Chell pulled her over to the ASHPD, narrowing down exactly what she was going to have to do, and what she was going to have to avoid, in order for this to work.

"What are you doing?" GlaDOS questioned, her optic darkening. Chell answered by shoving the potato onto a spike on the gun, inwardly flinching at the wet _squish_ sound that accompanied the action. The potato screeched, voice riddled with pain.

"Ow! You stabbed me, wh-oaaa.."

The computer let off her sentence with a breathless gasp, idyllic-sounding, but also confused. Suspicious, Chell tapped the side of the ASHPD with her nail, shrugging at GlaDOS skeptically. Forcibly being skewered onto a portal device had sounded rather excruciating, which made Chell feel a bit at fault. She soon got back on focus, though: Why would the AI sound jaunty?

_Oh god, don't tell me she's some sort of masochist._

Chell thought with a groan. GlaDOS interrupted her, audibly invigorated.

"That really hurt, as you probably already guessed. However! There is good news, very good news."

The woman angled the gun outward, getting an improved view of GlaDOS-potato. Confessedly tickled by the sight of her stuck onto the gun, Chell snickered, covering her mouth as best as she could. That wasn't very well. Her sound of amusement caused the gun to jolt, bringing the potato attached to it to miff in mild embarrassment.

"As I was _saying,_ there is a positive outcome out of this: My power supply has increased from 1.1 volts to 1.6. My voltage was increased by half a volt."

Temperate mood ruined, Chell gripped the gun tighter, pressing it against her body and blowing air through her teeth. The noise was sharp, disapproving. If the computer had more power, it served to reason that she could soon be up to her old tricks again, converting to her manipulative mannerisms. Half a volt wasn't a substantial amount, but knowing Aperture, they'd made their technology to take a mile when it was given an inch. Distrust bubbled in the test subject, the faith she'd placed in GlaDOS falling away in chunks.

The AI responded to her with a soft chuckle, her eye flashing on and off with the articulation of each laugh. Calmed by the gentle tone, Chell relaxed, shoulders dropping out of their tense state. She kept the ASHPD close, even so. Twisting her hand, she rotated the gun, seeking an explanation, whether it was verbal or a physical aspect she had failed to notice before.

"The portal gun must be part magnesium. This element is a metal, therefore it is an excellent electricity conductor. However.."

GlaDOS paused, silence filling the air between them once again. The bird, not pleased by this at all, beat its healthy wing with startling virile. The commotion disturbed the jumpsuit, the bird's thrashing about to get it a plunge out of the pocket. Chell grabbed the edges of her pocket, pushing the bird back inside and afterward holding it closed securely. She remained holding the cloth while the bird's vigor steadily was mollified away, signified when it stopped wriggling.

"Mm...I can tell that's going to be inefficient in the future. But I suppose telling you to simply murder the organism is something you'd find cruel, despite your murderous rampages of me you consistently go on."

Chell patted the bird through the fabric, nodding once to GlaDOS in response.

"Of course. How did I know? Oh, that's right. I know everything; I'm _brilliant. _But, back to business. While magnesium is a great conductor, it won't increase my power enough so that my more complicated processes can come back online, unfortunately."

The AI ended this statement bitterly, disappointment evident in her words. Picking apart the monologue, Chell found hidden reassurance. Fabrications were a 'complicated' process, in Aperture's standards; GlaDOS still could not lie to her. Reassured, the test subject shifted the gun back to its proper position: sitting snugly around her upper right arm.

After checking her pocket for a last time and finding it occupied, Chell braced her left hand behind her on the pile of wood, pulling her unwounded leg out from underneath her body and out in front of her, she swung it off the pile, placing it on the ground. The right's staunch muscles supported her well, but now it was time to test the left, wounded, leg after its short break. Taking a deep breath in provision, the woman bent herself around, grabbed the heel of the foot, dragging it out from behind her back and over the edge of the boards. That caused a weak throb, but thankfully no harsh shocks of pain. It dangled three or five inches off the ground, mocking Chell to just _try _and put weight on it.

"Why did you move it like that? Legs can move without the assistance of arms. Unless...you **hurt **yourself, didn't you?"

The voice of GlaDOS was snobbish, thrilled that the test subject had finally had something horrible happen to her, aside from the obvious imprisonment in an abandoned, and demented, science facility. Chell ignored her, intent on getting herself upright again. She took another inhale, setting her left foot on the ground in the next moment. The nerves sprang to attention, warning her of the consequences that she would be meeting if she continued this activity. She sucked in another breath and held it, closing her eyes at the sensation. But then she lunged forward, using her left arm to propel herself off the wood. Chell stumbled, and for a few seconds she was absolutely sure she was going to collide with the earth once more.

She abruptly caught her footing, and she sought to keep it, spacing out her legs to maintain an upright posture. Chell wavered, swayed. Her left leg gave her a hell load of objection, but miraculously, it held. When she'd finally gotten steady, she raised it up again, holding it close to her right knee. Spasms racked the muscles, and the pain was creeping up it. That wasn't the main picture, however: She had stood. And what was even better was that she was able to remain stable with the ASHPD still on her right hand, and having her reality-defying weapon at the ready was always auspicious. A wide grin breaking across her features, Chell curled her empty hand into a fist, and pumped it in the air as a declaration of her victory.

GlaDOS was not impressed, the act of standing not extremely extraordinary to her.

"Fantastic, you've managed to get into the correct position for: walking. Now, let's do some of that. Come onnn."

Shooting a look toward the AI before hobbling forward a step, Chell scanned the area, searching for a way out. There was always up, but even the female test subject couldn't jump quite that high, and the elevator was totally nonfunctional. So their best bet was to find a place to squeeze through..maybe between the metal planking? Spotting a beam leaning precariously out of line, Chell limped her way over to it, her gait still erratic but this time with less discomfort.

_It seems that rest did it good..but I won't be testing that assumption too much._

"I don't think that gap is quite wide enough for you to squeeze through..nor any human, for that matter."

The potato was right; the hole caused by the hanging beam only provided a glimpse out of the alcove. Outside were chain-linked fences, rusting and broken. There were also water-stained walls, as well as shadowy lighting. Determining that was the place where they were going to go, Chell turned her head, looking for a tool to pry apart the walls with-

That's when she noticed a huge opening in the metal lining, introducing a path into the area with the fences. Chell gave a start, then turned the rest of herself to face the open area, inspecting it with cynical insight. She couldn't see much out of it aside from a looming dark mass, the glare of the elevator blocking the cryptic expanse from sight. There was only one way to see what lay in the unknown, then. Gingerly, the woman placed wobbly foot after foot, making her way over to the path. Along the way, she had to step in several puddles of filthy water, and by the time she'd reached the hole in the wall, wrapping her grip around the edge for support, her long-fall boots were streaked with brown grime.

_Urgh._

Shaking her left boot lightly as to avoid hurting it, she got all of three percent of the disgusting mess off before resigning to leaving it be. With a sigh, Chell set the foot back to its post of hovering above the ground, and leaned forward out of the alcove. What she saw had her jaw loosening and breath hitching. Massive ruins littered the ground, their skeletal structures covered in dust. Moving forward, Chell raised her head up as she went, mouth falling open at the enormous structures that stretched seemingly infinitely upward. There were three of these, she counted as she looked about. Turning to gaze at where she had came from, the woman saw that it also rose up..to the facility. It looked to be an old elevator shaft that had fallen into disrepair. The metal sheets missing from the gap which she had exited from were no where to be seen, and neither was a lucid route.

Standing, dumbfounded, the woman looked to GlaDOS for advice. The AI pondered, her words coming several moments later.

"That..to your right. There's a building with something written on its side. Head that way."

Chell rotated, fixing her look on the building in question. It was farther than any of the others, and to get to it she'd have to skirt around much debris. But sure enough, there were yellow characters printed on the front of it, bold against the bland gray metal it was constructed on. However, through the smog present here, the text was unreadable. Nodding to GlaDOS, she rounded the corner, coming face to face with the ruined path to the ominously-labeled building. Chell slipped her fingers inside her jumpsuit pocket, wanting to feel the bird for consolation that it was still there, still alive. Receiving a quiet peep in response, Chell removed her fingers, beginning to stagger about her way. Careful not to trip when hopping onto a gigantic metal beam that had likely fallen from the ceiling, the test subject and her duo followed it, emerging out of what remained of a pipe. It was a dead end, but written on the wall directly in her field of vision, paint cracked and peeling, nearly undecipherable, was the numbers 09.

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><p><strong>Eee, this took a while (by my standards). Hope it was worth the wait! ..Also. These chapters are going to be lengthy, and contain a lot of elaboration. You might be thinking 'Hey Em, let's get to the action! Let's get to the EPICNESS'. It's coming. This exposition stage is <em>very<em> important though, so it needs to come first. Let's see what you guys dig up about Chell's little bird-buddy. ;D And also what you suspect its suspicious markings might be. Until next time~**

-**_Emerald_**


	4. Metempirical Procession

~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~

The lack of sight of the building they had been formerly using as navigation was confusing to Chell, the woman scrunching up her face and scanning the labeled wall with cognition. Glancing about gave her no glimpses of the earlier unknown structure; on her left was a regular old wall, and on the right was an intact chain link fence. The wall rose above her height, towering over her head, advertising the fact that it had been vertically blessed. Rationally, it had been appointed there to herd whoever wandered through these passages before their deconstruction to the opposite direction; why else would there be a perfectly see-through fence that way, an ancient lock hooked to the gate's clasp? Looking through the webbing, Chell could spot conspicuous sheets of metal tumbled over, laying a few feet from the fence. They leaned on a vertical ledge, and above that ledge, Chell could see fire.

With a gentle pat to the gun, Chell set it down, pushing it away with her toe so there wouldn't be any 'unfortunate accidents'. It produced a scraping sound, the hard rock of the ground clashing with the glossy plastic of the device. Apprehensive at being essentially kicked to the side, GlaDOS loudly inquired:

"What do you think you are doing, exactly?"

Forcing her hands into the space between chain links, the test subject tightened her grip, giving a small tug. It rattled, shook earnestly. She hadn't pulled it hard enough, the woman figured. Being cautious of her left leg, she turned so the entire left side of her body was against the fence, setting the weight and pressure of herself on the fence as she used it for support. It groaned. Chell rolled her shoulders, and yanked. The metal rocked in its bearings, straining as it resisted her efforts with insufferable rancor. She was able to pull it towards her, the webbing stretching in the power her pulls offered. The rust hadn't eaten away at all of the structure of the rickety fence though, it would appear. Although Chell gave a valiant fight, the iron digging into her flesh with every tug would not budge, shift, collapse, or combust out of its position.

Prying her fingers off the offending barrier, the woman turned and leaned down, head still rightward, glare locked on the spider-webbing metal. She gathered the ASHPD in her arms, returning it to its post on her right arm, situating it soundly with her left. Inhuman snickers interrupted her refining, highly tonal and computerized. Finishing the last few adjustments, the woman took her gaze to potato-GLaDOS, giving her a detached look.

"The oh-so mighty test subject..impeded by an obstruction used to contain baseball players."

_Oh yeah? How's about you give me a baseball bat, and we'll see what impedes who._

Breaking her attention away, instead focusing on the numbers printed back near the exit of the pipe, she resorted to musing. It truly seemed as if the computer responded to stress by **firing biting insults** at her unsuspecting(not really) test participant. It was a familiar prospect; didn't people resort to verbal and sometimes physical abuse in cases of supreme insecurity? GlaDOS was modeled after humans. All robots were, as their creators saw the greatest perfection in themselves. Not to mention, she had human-like tendencies that proved themselves apparent over and over again. Therefore, it was reasonable to rationalize that GlaDOS would respond to various situations much in the manner a human would in her dilemma.

That was quite a logical explanation for the crazed computer's behavior in this underground wasteland, though it still did not give a terribly legitimate reason why the AI had more or less the same behavior when she'd been in total control, lording over the Enrichment Center in sadistic glory.

_She hates you._

However, an understanding came quick, a coaster on the wind that floated into her ears like a hushed whisper. Emotions squirming, the woman accepted the statement, no doubt staining her mind. Vivid memories of the murder of Aperture's artificial intelligence flashed through her mind, the unwanted reminders causing an uneasy change of posture, Chell now pressing a good deal of weight on her wounded leg. She didn't notice though; her conscious was elsewhere, woven into the transgressions of the past. She was being swallowed by remains of the past, being killed by none other than her own traitorous mind. Her soul's coffin was crafted of smooth metal, salvaged from the mangled form of GlaDOS herself, who had lay sprawled across a nauseatingly ordinary parking lot. Now the metal enclosed the woman, insulating incredible heat, suffocating temperatures that sent Chell into a frenzy. No matter how roughly, how fiercely, she clawed at the roof of her eternal container, she could not escape being buried alive.

Tragically, she had actually been 'buried alive', hadn't she? Stasis: a condition where all her body functions were at a constant pace, equal. Her lungs rose and fell, her blood traveled through its subways, the same as it had done for years. Her heart had beat, pumping constant allowances of life chivalrously as Chell slept. Everything was sustained, everything was mutual. There was no room for fault or error, Aperture had made sure of that. Her brain, though, had remained dormant, suspended in a never-ending slumber that prohibited anything other than the minimum signals controlling a human's essential organs. In a sense, being in stasis was being brain dead. Her heart was alive, but her soul was not, trapped within her exiled conscious mind.

With her mind's banishment, came Chell's own. It was her everlasting punishment, remaining alive, yet existing so little that she'd better be described as dead. The test subject had destroyed the flask housing the poison, and would be caught in an endless paradox of life and death until someone, anyone, cracked open the box and discovered her either dozing or gone.

Inhaling then exhaling through her teeth in frustration, Chell cleared her considering stupor with a step back, then another, turning away from the source of her original irritation: The Fence. Irritation was increasingly leading to deep contemplation, a feat she had no time, nor need, for. She was going to need to find **some **way past the chain link if they were to continue about their wild goose chase, but there weren't several options. Could she jump it? Further investigation said: No; it was at least seven feet tall, Chell's left leg wouldn't be too delighted, and the surfaces on the other side of the fence were lopsided, even a section of ceiling having fallen onto the ground. It was propped up against a wall, inclining at an angle to create a lousy sheltered area from the elements, the crackling fire from earlier blazing its life away underneath it. The strength of this fire was brawnier than the strength of the few isolated fires she'd encountered previously, the white ceiling panel shielding it from the water running through cracks in plaster, dripping into puddles collected by the woman's feet.

_Wait! Just a second..._

Eyes widening, Chell hopped a step, growling when her left leg capitulated to its injury and she had to scramble to correct her uneven parity. She brought it up above her knee again, ignoring the snort from the AI. Wasn't it so easy to kick an injured test subject while she was down? Figuratively, of course. A familiar chirrup drew her to her pocket, where she tapped the bird on the head once with her pointer finger that she then pulled to her lips, already passing her scrutiny over to the ceiling panel again. The white surface was toned lightly orange from the fire it homed, the silhouette of the springing flames skirting across it.

Swinging her left hand over, the test subject gripped the barrel of the ASHPD firmly, palm pressed against the clear glass currently unlit from the absence of fired portals, fingertips wrapped around the edges of the white plating encasing the front of the gun. She then amended the position of the device, lifting it above the top of the fence and leveling the imaginary scope with the middle of the ceiling panel. Instinctively tensing, Chell's body was forced backward at the fire, but having gotten used to the kick of the gun from before, the feeling passed, Chell still on her feet. The blue trail followed its course to the panel, reaching its target with a 'pop' and fizzle of particles. There wasn't a moment's hesitation when the alternate dimension came into existence, opaque without its orange counterpart. Swirling, the portal's free-roaming atoms alerted the subject to its slothful state.

Turning around, Chell swiveled her gaze about, eyes darting over dented metal walls, old pipes, and finally settling on a peeling wall constructed of portal-able properties just beside the 09 label. She had seen it before, though it hadn't held any importance until now. With perhaps a smidgen more of satisfaction than was healthy, she strode to the wall, putting superlative reduction of pressure on her left appendage to compensate for her earlier blunder, awarding the right with the responsibility instead. She shot the orange portal, nearly fainting when it failed to grab hold, hissing out of existence.

_Oh no, no..._

Hastily she jammed her finger to the trigger again, felt it sink effortlessly down, activating the orange portal once more. Apparently she'd jerked the ASHPD off target previously, for this time it opened without a hitch, the orange ring burning strongly. Through this one, she could see a flame. Glancing towards the fence, Chell took a gander at the blue portal, narrowing her eyes to peer into the oval shape. She saw herself. Heart catching in her ribcage, she tentatively spanned her arm into the portal, look darting from orange to blue. Spotting a hand dangling from the panel, she moved her own in a wave, as a final manifestation. The one out of the blue portal mimicked the action, waving to Chell.

Smiling widely, Chell reclaimed her hand, running it along the front of the ASHPD and clasping the barrel. Lifting her right leg, the woman took one step out of the portal, remembering to place her unoccupied hand on a support to counterbalance the uneven balance provided by her legs. Blindly she latched onto something, a prickly feeling tickling up her skin after she did. In a moment of brightness, Chell curled her right leg, hooking it around the portal it was hanging out of, the toe bumping into the ceiling panel. With that, she'd be less likely to plunge through it and end up an awkward heap in the dirt.

She craned her neck, leaning back to see what she'd touched with her hand. Startlingly, she noticed that she'd grabbed onto the edges of the orange wormhole, fingers gripping amongst the frolicking flares. Their rough apparent adverted their dangerous inclinations, however the flames felt like breezes lapping against her skin, nothing more, nothing less. The portal's sides were also sturdy, solid.

_That will certainly come in handy. I can't believe I'm saying this, but **thank you** Aperture Science for having the tact to make the portals grippable._

The test subject paused, gaze wandering off into the distance, drifting over scaffolding and assorted formations.

_Or maybe thank you Science. I guess it depends on the mechanics of everything._

She followed the curve of the portal, smoothing it with a hand before giving a shrug, wrapping her grip around the edge once more. Scoping the exit through the portal again, Chell took the precaution of assuring that she had a safe, clear path without obstacles. Frowning, she saw that the fire took up a third of the place she would be landing at, its large size and the limited space provided by the ceiling panel keeping it fixed; Chell could not move the portal, so she'd just have to avoid the fire, unless she wanted burns along her legs. She hesitated, slowly uncurling her leg, pushing her face out of the orange portal, but never leaping entirely into it.

GlaDOS optic faded, the flicker associated with her speaking of her words mild in its glow.

"Go on, it's alright. Just angle yourself to the side as you jump through; the movement will be conserved through the portals, and the fire will be utterly unimpressive as far as danger goes."

In surprise at the helpfulness, the woman's mouth went slack, her look focusing on the potato attached to the gun. It seemed she had said all she had to say, though. She was completely silent. Not exactly certain how to respond, Chell just tipped her head in a nod, passing her gaze back to the portal. For a second longer, she stared into it, mind blank.

With a firm expression, she swung herself backward, then forward, releasing her grip on the portal's edge and tossing herself through the gateway. Chell flew through the intro-dimensional gate, emerging out of the orange portal's counter-part, legs splayed, ready for impact. Thankfully, the panel was low to the ground, and the woman didn't really even fall; just popped on out of the blue, winced a bit at the sliver of pain the bump to the ground caused, and that was that.

She rubbed her leg, soothing the muscles. In the next moment she pressed it gently to the ground, though it was no cinch. But she would have to deal with it; hobbling around with a sole functioning leg was just asking for that bad karma she had been avoiding for so long to show its ugly face. Chell snuck her fingers into her left pocket, brushing her fingertips over her partner's head, pushing him or her back into its little refuge. It had peeked its head out after the short journey through the portals, excited by the rapid change of surroundings. At her contact, it peeped stubbornly, shoving its body into her hand. With a chuckle, she gave it a firm push back inside, patting the fervid animal withheld in the pocket. Having that issue solved, Chell straightened, rising to her full height.

And then abruptly struck the ceiling panel with the back of her head, which led it to move up somewhat. Giving a yelp, she ducked low, further squatting when the panel fell back into place with a slam. Chell rose again, although this time not high enough that she'd hit the panel again, and slapped her palm onto her head, caressing her skull while glowering at its attacker. Slightly embarrassed, the test subject decided to blame it on her assumed brain damage.

Turning to the side, Chell took a look at the place where they had just came from, a sly smirk playing along her lips at the sight of the fence, now conquered. The fence had blocked off a small area consisting of a floor, another wall, and a flickering lamp.

_Whoa, how long has that been here? Must be quite the high-quality bulb._

She thought, blinking uncomfortably at the strident light it provided.

GlaDOS hadn't commented, likely observing the situation and weighing the possible actions they could take, and which one would be the most likely to succeed. Every option's percentage of success was probably being compared to others, down to the very. Last. Decimal point. Not that Chell was complaining. No, having the absolute finest strategy would just be a plus to their cause.

That strategy came into open when GlaDOS snapped back into action, directing Chell around the corner past the panel to an open space between two short black walls. Expectantly, the woman waited for the remainder of her instructions, opening and closing her hand inside the portal gun to prevent it from cramping. The creaking of dying buildings echoed in the vast, the only sound apart from the woman's soft breathing.

"...Hey. Are you listening?"

Nodding, Chell fixed her gaze on the potato attached to her weapon, pointing to the two walls and the passage they created.

"Yes, that's exactly right: Go that way. How relieving that you haven't gone deaf, or lost the concept of words completely."

Arching an eyebrow in silent questioning, Chell dropped her other arm back to her side, swinging it freely. Eager to get going, but not with the full layout of their intentions, she took a step, then looked down at GlaDOS, clicking her tongue. The computer groaned, her annoyance obvious in the strict stress she put on her words.

"Do tell **what** you are doing. Nodding, pointing, and using the gross muscle contained in your mouth to make sounds doesn't count as escaping. Though..if you do all three at once maybe it'd be enough of a spectacle to hail a taxi out of this asylum."

The woman giggled at the vision this brought, smacking her palm over her mouth to try and muffle the already nearly-silent noises. Startled at her own reaction, she swiftly regained her composure, the joyed light in her eyes fading into the normal, bored mien. She jabbed a finger at GlaDOS, then glided her thumb against her pointer finger in a demanding gesture. At first, the AI was at a loss. Then she sighed, her voice lowering from its usual monotone.

"That's the procedure for now; I haven't thought of anything more than that. Let's just wing this, and see where it takes us."

She sounded...disgruntled, disappointed in the lack of formulating she had done, or was able to do. It was a tad unexpected, looking back at the elaborate traps she had laid for the test subject, not to mention her former scientists, as if she had suspected their every move, her calculating golden gaze cracking the code of their vitality and the resulting outcomes. Chell stared at her, then shrugged indifferently, replacing her left hand around the barrel of the gun. Using the gun to indicate the space from before, the woman began walking there, giving a section of plastic near GlaDOS a pat.

_Winging it is just about the only option at this point. It's not like either of us know the maze of this labyrinth anyway._

Still not comforted completely, but sullen mood just hardly allayed, the AI took up commenting on the state of their current site. Chell slowly made her way to the gap, listening half-hardheartedly with her steps.

"This underground hell truly is remarkable in the degree of its atrophy; it's absolutely deteriorated. Seriously, look at the number of collapsed scaffolds and catwalks. It's disgraceful."

Chell stopped her advance, running her look along the ground. Indeed, there was a fair amount of rubble; corroded iron littered around her feet, and the path they'd taken through the worn pipe was riddled with metallic corpses. However, above her head exhaustive catwalks linked the ominous buildings together, dozens and dozens of the metal structures side by side. They must have been constructed of sturdier material, for they appeared unaffected by the elements, the only sign of age being their bland shade of gray. If she ever had the chance, she planned on following one of them; they obviously led **somewhere**. But as it were, they were too far up. A pity, maybe she'd find a way up to their level eventually.

In response to the vegetable, she delicately hooked a boot underneath a bent piece of scaffolding, lightly tossing it away with a flick of her foot and commenced walking forward again. The AI took this as agreement, and quieted contently, processors producing modest, automated murmurs. Chell passed between the two walls, and was greeted with a freezing draft that wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in close. Involuntary shivering, she squeezed in on herself, rubbing her right arm rapidly to warm it up.

_God..I hope it doesn't stay this chilly. Otherwise I'll have to put my jumpsuit top back on._

Her eyes narrowed in antipathy, body loosening. The prospect of having the restricting clothing covering her upper torso was not even mildly appealing, so Chell devised to resort to wearing it only under extreme conditions. She had grown accustomed to the feeling of exposed skin, loving the lavish feeling of freedom she got by simply tearing some part of Aperture away from her body. It was her personal broadcast of independence. GlaDOS hadn't picked up on it, but it was clandestine, hidden by the overall abstractness of the idea, so that wasn't astonishing.

Shuddering, Chell inched into the passage, steadily adapting to the change in temperature, much to her relief. To the left was another lamp, also flickering in its struggle for life, the lamp holding on to the wall by mere wires. The sight set her mind to work. The test subject excelled at finding concealed patterns; she **was** a test subject, after all, and memorizing the multiple aspects of testing was vital. So far, these lamps had been positioned at locations of importance. The first light was below the ledge, behind the chain-linked fence she'd just left behind. That had been the correct path, and though obscured, she'd worked around the hindrances and fundamentally ended up progressing. Thus, she concluded that wherever these lamps were stationed, if you followed past them, you'd climb another rung in the metaphorical ladder.

She treaded in that direction, wet '_squish_' noises accompanying her advances. The walls were covered in a slimy film, slick to the touch. Chell found this out when she skipped her hand along the surface, snatching it away at the nasty texture. She discovered herself establishing the very same opinion of the place that GlaDOS had. After all, it was hard to defend the rotting and tarnished appearance, to maintain respect of a drained landscape.

Smearing the film onto her pants, the woman rid herself of the disgusting filth, assuring that her fingers were indeed clean before clinging onto the ASHPD once more, resolving not to poke, prod, or jab anything else aside from her own 'possessions', she glanced at GlaDOS and the gun and the bird, unless it appeared decently sanitary. A large pipe blocked her way, and she ducked underneath it, wary of another hit to the skull. Once past it, she picked up her pace, trotting with difficulty. She came to another section of white wall, habitually shooting a blue portal onto it then turning to the right, following the natural curve of the passage.

What she saw had her gait faltering and anger escalating. Yet again, standing **directly** in her path, was a fence. Was this some sort of joke? However, Chell remembered her previous victory over the metal chain-links, and squinted into the distance behind it, searching. There were several more fires past this fence, their crackles nearly deafening. Embers drifted in the air, smoke wafted into her nose. She coughed, shielding her nose with her left arm. While it blocked the smoke from burning her nostrils, it also made it arduous to breathe. She had to take gulps of air from her mouth, coughing hoarsely when she did. This all combined to make seeing rather complicated. Her eyes stung and watered, tainting her sight. What she could make out was a massive collaboration of construction, cranes, catwalks, incomplete buildings above. There were also pipes, though they were thinner and sound compared to those which she had seen earlier.

Chell wheezed, taking a couple steps back. GlaDOS piped up, telling the woman to get as close to the fence as possible, that she required the best view available in order to properly assist. Affronted that the AI thought her in need of help, Chell flushed, biting her tongue but obeying anyway, coming to a stop in front of the fence. The creaking of buildings reached a crescendo here, as well as the amount of smoke; she couldn't see a foot ahead of her. GlaDOS though, apparently, could.

"To your left, there's a section of walling that has a platform attached to it. Try and aim left."

Reluctantly, Chell took a deep breath and removed her arm from her face, holding the ASHPD by its barrel once more. The computer directed her with 'Too far!'s and 'No, your **other** left's until she had the portal device in the correct position. At least, according to GlaDOS. Heart rate increasing, Chell realized that this would be their first test of trust. Her role? To believe her murderous overlord. The murderous overlord's role? Not to shepard Chell into a pit of fiery death. Cautious, the woman locked eyes with GlaDOS' optic, internal battles raging. Having no further option...she accepted this test.

"Alright, now pull your arm up higher, unless you want to ram into the railings. You don't, by the way."

The computer ended with a grunt. Rolling her eyes, Chell did lift her arm a couple inches, then pressed the appropriate trigger on the gun. Lungs about to burst, Chell forced them to hold on longer, frozen in vaccinating between anticipation and depreciation.

_**POCK.**_

The portal connected, opening and allowing its light to spread across its surroundings. Through the cloudy haze, Chell could spot its orange glow, dynamic in its color. Part one of assessment: Complete. Rounding back to the wall in the rear, she approached it hesitantly, leaning forward on her left toe. Giving GlaDOS a sideways glance, she poked her face on through. Below lay quite a few fires, rubble, sharp shards of metal, and fallen beams. These ruins extended into the haze, beyond where Chell could see. There was no sign of the supposed platform. A flash of anger blighted her, the sharp stabs of betrayal being felt all over again. Yanking the gun through the portal to her, she glared venomously at the AI, rage causing her temperature to skyrocket, her hand nearing the vegetable with nails ready to rip and tear-

"Look down."

_Look down? Why, is there anything **else **yo- Oh._

There, a foot from the bottom of the portal, sat the platform, its metal surface coated in ash. Just as GlaDOS had said, placing the intro-dimensional gate above the railings had prevented her colliding with them, as well as the possibility of bruises. However, it had also prevented her from seeing the platform immediately. The overwhelming anxiety had naturally increased at this, then promptly altered into hostile ambiguity. Shaking her head as to clear it, Chell hopped out of the portal, unable to cloak a hiss when her leg hit the platform. She lugged it along as she walked to the edge of the platform, where she leaned over the railing. By squinting and looking carefully, she could distinguish a broad building, integrated with doors.

_Alright! Looks like we've found the goose of this wild-goose chase._

Chell eased up from the railing, acknowledging GlaDOS with a gratified ghost of a smile. As long as they kept their alliance tight and focused, they truly **did** stand a chance. The computer didn't respond, simply sighing softly. Shaking her head in exasperation, Chell supposed that some things would just never change. Mood risen, the woman moved about the platform, stopping mid-step when she came to what had once been an extension into the midst of the ruins below, but had since broken off, leaving a twisted railing and scratched metal in its absence. Creeping to the crooked brink of the platform, Chell peered below, scrunching up her nose when she caught sight of the ruins. It wouldn't be that terrible if it wasn't a fifteen foot drop to the ground, where she'd likely land on one of the gigantic fallen beams.

She tapped her right boot as she thought, removing her left hand to rub her chin. There was no way she was making that leap, not unless her leg decided to make a miraculous on-the-dime recovery. Bouncing it against the metal, getting short shocks of pain each time, she outweighed that option. With a pondering hum, Chell began to dig through her pocket, gently taking out the bird once she got her fingers wrapped around its thin frame. All fluffed up, it peeped in dissent, blinking its eyes open. She'd woken it from its nap, and it **demanded** an explanation, its chest puffed out, feathers ruffled. Chell used a nail to scratch the space between its shoulder blades, and it forgot the performance abruptly, instead opting to coo blissfully.

Face relaxing in affection, Chell cupped her hand, keeping her partner firmly situated in her palm. It didn't seem to mind, head jerking around, nosy. Chell joined in, sweeping her gaze among the ruins as she yearned for a ramp, or similarly. Suddenly, the bird cried out wildly, flapping its wings in a desperate fit. Taken aback, the woman jumped at the outburst, accidentally allowing the animal to fall out of her hand and begin a rapid descent.

_**No!**_

Shoving her own safety to the side, Chell hastily stuffed the portal device into her make-shift holster, freeing her hand. She dove with her arms, throwing her shoulders forward in just enough time to catch the bird in both hands, letting out a shaky and relieved breath. She had managed to save it when it was sheer inches from slamming into the platform, a feat that would have surely injured the creature further if it didn't kill it.

She shifted it back to a single hand, and shook a strict finger of the other at the bird, lips pressed tightly together, a stern scowl. It cocked its head, then walked forward, nuzzling against her finger endearingly. The look it gave Chell was akin to the 'puppy dog face', and if it could speak, surely it would have said:

'I'm oh so sorry and **thank you** so very dearly much for saving my life, dearest Chell.'

Young ones were such suck-ups. Smiling despite her disrupted nerves, she stood up again, petting the bird on its back, tracing designs in its feathers with the green light the splotches released.

"What a simpleton, pursuing suicide when it's obvious that you won't put the poor thing out of its misery. Its misery being that it's stuck with that appalling face, and grotesque structure. It needs to realize that it's going to be living with itself for a long, long time, though the chances of it coming to understanding those terms are a million to one. So, I guess you'd say it is...a bird brain."

GlaDOS had returned to her original monotonous voice, her routine of finishing her dialogue with insults accounted for.

Chell scoffed, moving the animal to one hand covering the bird's ears with another. It was silly, but that didn't stop her. The bird wouldn't be 'offended' at anything the AI had to say, though Chell would take offense for it if she was even slightly skeptical that it had heard the snappy commentary that spawned out of no where. Come to think of it, had GlaDOS just insulted a **bird**?

"Covering its ears won't do anything. Watch. **LALALALALALA**."

Insolent and shrill, the loud incantation of 'La' had the test subject's ears ringing and the bird squawking in ire. Shoving the bird to her chest and holding it there as it thrashed, Chell snatched the gun out from her jumpsuit, shaking it roughly while she attempted to calm her bird. GlaDOS' sounds changed into warbles, the potato skewered on the spike starting to spill nonsense that only inflated with each additional shake. Chell halted, dangling the gun by its grip in the trigger chamber with two fingers. The warbling lingered for all of four seconds longer, then was superseded with a nauseated moan. The woman raised her eyebrows, cocked her head. The computer was dizzy?

A laugh rose out of her, though it was silent.

_So, Aperture's prized computer is dizzy? While normally I would shake my head and call that absurd, today I do believe that I'll use this..to my advantage. _

Chell righted her head, pretending that she hadn't noticed GlaDOS' condition. Her bird had somewhat relaxed, though it was puffed up in distress. Following a solacing stroke of the animal's side, the test subject had the bird staring up at her with wide eyes. It looked terrified, shudders shaking its small body. The frequency of the AI's blurts had pained its already delicate and sensitive ears.

Wishing to cast a look of resentment towards the computer, but instead lifting the bird up higher to her face, Chell brightened her own expression, allowing herself to smile loosely. She watched her bird with a motherly gaze, listening as its breathing rate decreased to a healthy rate.

_That's the spirit!_

Beaming, Chell curled her fingers around her feathered friend, pulling it under her chin and tucking it into her neck. She held it in the embrace for a couple moments, eventually slipping it into her pocket when the noises of GlaDOS had lessened to soft grumbles. After it had been restored to its rightful throne, the bird peeked its head out, glancing about but not attempting to hop out. Resigning to letting it be, the woman tapped its head with a finger approvingly.

_That's a good..._

She stopped her patting, eyebrows creasing and observing the bird in a dubious display. The overall drama associated with their current predicament had slashed her weedy thoughts into shape, preventing them from growing wildly in all directions. Instead, they had been cut into a clear path, one she was expected to follow. Now, however, a thought snuck past the blades, shooting into height: The bird didn't have a name. GlaDOS, Chell, Wheatley, they'd all been bestowed alias, though they were rarely spoken aloud. In fact, none of the aforementioned had referred to the other by name at all. Regardless, having a name presented a dedication to that individual.

_No matter, I'll just have to give you a name, then._

Youthful glee spread through Chell, her body shivering. Excited at being able to decide something as crucial and symbolic as a name, the test subject raked into her brain for a word, a summary of the personality curled in her jumpsuit. She was able to come up with several words, though they were all related to the same place, the same entity. Turrent. Pellet. Metal. Blood. Cubes. Cameras. Elevators.

Chell uncovered her limited vocabulary, as well as her utter paucity of acceptable names as she thought, the excitement quickly sparking into disappointment.

Frowning, she rested her hand on her hip, twirling the ASPHD with her fingers.

"'Heey! Stooop that, I've had enough of the rapid movements today."

GlaDOS complained, voice still teetering on disorientation. Chell didn't stop twirling the gun, staring at the potato, peeved. GlaDOS' optic flashed rapidly, its perception altered by the movement of the portal device. Ignoring the angry, and rather savage at that, growls of the computer, she jerked her gaze back to her pocket, bring her fingers to skirt around the opening, goading the animal into pecking at them.

Nimbly dodging the creature's beak, Chell ex cogitated about her own name, repeating it in her head and finding that each time her body answered by becoming more alert, her attitude lifting to one of abnormal accost. Strange, infinite years of not hearing 'Chell', of not being referred to anything other than 'you', yet she still knew herself; her name persisted as a true significance.

Finally halting her twisting of the ASHPD, the test subject affixed her grip onto the clear tunnel on the top of the gun. She then nudged her upper jumpsuit outfit away from her waist with the bottom of the device, freeing up space between the woman's side and the tight fabric tied around her hips. Slipping the gun through the space, jamming it into a strict hold, she got in her the holster again. Turning a bit, she made sure that it was secured before completely relinquishing her hold on it, its safety attested. The top of the gun now pointed upwards, though sideways so the side of the portal gun wouldn't be leaning against her. Having the spikes bordering the operational end tilted so they wouldn't jab her seemed to be a sapient move. GlaDOS didn't enjoy the new found closeness to Chell, which she showed with a set of biting discourtesies.

"Just when I thought I couldn't possibly get even more uncomfortable, you feel the need to consistently bring me closer to you."

The woman tilted her head, watching the potato bemusedly. She continued skipping her fingers around her bird, playfully grabbing its beak when she could, holding it closed for a split second before snatching her hand away and resuming the game. She honestly knew where the conversation was going to flow, and honestly she didn't remotely care. Holding superiority in her mind was the need to give her feathered friend an alias, and soon. Whatever GlaDOS said, she wouldn't take it into deep consideration. No, she'd much prefer reviewing her memories for anything that would shed light on her darkened conception.

"Your clothing is distasteful."

Ceasing her game with Avian Friend, Chell pointed to the Aperture Logo adorning her tank top, smack dab in the center. The logo branded there asserted that the tank had been manufactured there, by the same minds that had constructed and programmed GlaDOS herself. So calling it 'distasteful' was the same as calling your home a foreign wilderness. And although some might find the orange and white combination of cloth ugly, the test subject did not. Orange and blue were the only bright colors she'd seen since, well, ever. Wearing one of those colors made her feel as if she stood out in the monochrome environment of the Enrichment Center, made her a splash of red on the greyscale canvas. She was a harsh contrast to both the walls of the test chambers, and the multifarious souls who had fought their way through them. Orange clashed with white. Chell's tenacity countered their skepticism.

"Not the fabric itself, you simpleton. I'm referring to the morbid amount of refuse adorning it. It will soon be adorning me as well, being plastered against your sweaty abdomen."

She continued blankly staring at GlaDOS, crossing her arms across her body, a flat grin crossing her features. Slowly, she twisted and turned herself. The ASHPD bumped her side at awkward angles, but that was the purpose: To make the AI as perplexed as humanly possible. Perplexed indeed, the computer complained in protest.

"Stop that! You look undeniably stupid tossing your body this way and that. Do you have an iodine deficiency?"

_...What?_

Chell had no clue what an 'iodine deficiency' even was, let alone if she owned one. It was most likely something insulting though, so she gradually shook her head side to side, maintaining her dull expression. The computer snickered in studious competence, which changed into a cocky 'hmph' when the woman finally stopped moving her abdomen in a screw. However, Chell hadn't stopped for GlaDOS' sake. No, she had stopped because she had experienced a moment of enlightenment.

Iodine, that word, had a captivating ring to it. She ran it over in her brain, liking the way its every letter was included in its pronunciation. Looking down at her pocket, she visualized her bird. Iodine. Chell broke into a wide smile, eyes nearly squeezing shut. But after a couple seconds, it fell back into a frown. If her enemy had used it as an insult, it could have a negative connotation. However, perhaps she could alter it, make the word her own. After all, there was not way 'Chell' was an actual word, right? Someone had mixed the letters and sounds from another to form her name.

_Perhaps a rhyme..that should be simple enough._

Thinking deeply, Chell paid no heed to either of her two companions, instead allowing her gaze to drift over the rubble below her feet. What would rhyme with 'iodine'? Having no sense of true words, she decided to just let her imagination roam and conjure things of pure fantasy.

_Ranhine, Ginine, Mine, Sanhibine._

Nothing she came up with struck a chord in her heart, something she acknowledged with a silent whine.

Chell decided to take every letter of the alphabet and plop them in from of the 'dine' from Iodine.

_...Keldine, Ladine, Mildine, Nadine..._

Chell froze as she felt her heart jolt at that last one, her eyes brightening with emotion. Nadine, it had a graceful undertone, yet there felt as if there was a hidden meaning concealed within the letters. Gently, Chell slid her hand into her pocket, scooped out her bird, and held it in the palms of her hands. It stared up at her, golden eyes searching in her own crystal. Eyes lowering into content slits, the woman raised the animal up to her face, pressing her forehead to its own carefully. It startled, but then relented to nuzzle her twice before hopping backwards in her hands.

Fondly grinning, Chell smoothed her hand over its back, already moving it back to its pocket.

Little Nadine made her way back into Chell's jumpsuit with a clumsy stumble head-first into the pocket, benefiting a chuckle from the test subject. Confirming that Nadine was snugly settled, the woman reached back for the ASHPD, peering out of the corner of her eye at the weapon. GlaDOS' 'eye' was narrowed. Well, not literally narrowed. In the middle the glowing yellow was shaped in the shape of a crack, like a cat's eye would be formed. The sides bordering that crack were a humdrum brown, unsavory in appearance. Chell wasn't the only one who was discovering ways to communicate with her partners.

Uneasy, Chell fully set her gaze on the potato, shrugging questionably. Unexpectedly, GlaDOS made no attempt to cover up the fact that she'd been essentially glaring, made not a single attempt to smack on a facade. Instead she merely responded in a growl.

"Nothing."

Her tone was harsh, and immediately afterward her optic's shape merged so that it appeared to glance away, off to the right.

_..Wow. Someone's temperamental._

Rolling her eyes and deciding **not **to remove the device from its holster, Chell joined her in looking to the side, biting her tongue as she surveyed the massive fall that would result from jumping off the platform. Under normal circumstances she could handle that no problem, but with her injury, even with the long fall boots, she'd likely end up a heap on the ground. Spotting the rubble and sharp edges of metal sprawled across the expanse of the area in front of her, the woman did not desire that outcome.

Having a suspicion, she backed up a couple steps, and began walking to where GlaDOS had been staring. The computer instantly swerved her look elsewhere. Faltering just slightly in her step, Chell soon shrugged it off and went ahead. When she came to the railing, she gripped the bars firmly, raising her left foot to rest on one of the bottom bars. Cautiously she leaned over the bar precariously, mentally praying that she wouldn't lose her footing.

Gripping on tightly, she bent even farther down, looking to her left and right. The platform was supported by strong metal supports, nearly a foot in width. Chell shuffled closer to the left, stretching to touch her fingertips to the support, pushing it experimentally. It didn't as much as sway a centimeter.

_So they're sturdy, enough for my weight, anyway._

She just about snorted as she considered the insults GlaDOS would've thrown her way if she could read her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back on her haunches, wincing at the discomfort, then swung her body above the railing, hastily thrusting out her arms towards the support beam. The rest of her body followed after her, but at the last second the toes of her boots caught the railing, preventing her from tumbling off the platform. She got her arms on either side of the support, and locked her fingers together so her arms were now wrapped around the width of the beam. Tensing, she clung on, boots already beginning to slip.

"Are you crazy? You're going to loose your minimal footing, hit your head, die, and then where will we be?"

Chell grunted as an answer, hurriedly working on adjusting herself in order to preclude that scenario. She straightened her upper abdomen as well as she could, pulling up higher onto the beam. Finally, just as her toes were about to glide that one last bit, she yanked her legs free and pivoted them towards the support. Pulling them apart so they wouldn't slam into the metal, she also got one leg on each side, crossed them at the ankles, and clutched onto the support as best as she was able.

She was now effectively embracing the thick pillar, a frightened child stubbornly refusing to release their mother's leg. However, Chell didn't think she would mind getting reintroduced to the reliable ground again. Glaring down, the test subject found several feet standing in their reunion.

"Oh, I believe I see what you're **attempting** to do. You're going to shimmy down as to not further debilitate yourself?"

Nodding with severe difficulty, Chell inched downwards, constricting the metal as she shimmied earthwards. Among a couple instances she almost slid, but she prevailed, gradually lowering down until finally her long fall boot heels tapped the ground with a soft click. Letting out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding, Chell relinquished her grip on the support, prying her hands off and squeezing her right hand with her left to hopefully ease the pain. Feeling liquid sticking to her hand, she pulled them apart in surprise. The scratches, likely opened when she'd climbed the pole, were now bleeding. Though no substantial amount, the sight of the red unnerved her.

_I can't go around with a bleeding hand, who knows what diseases I might pick up?_

She remembered her earlier project of bandaging it, and suddenly was struck by an idea. Unveiling the white wrap she'd been wearing for joint support from her wrist, she tied it around her hand, securing it firmly into place with a tight knot. Shaking it slackly, Chell looked to GlaDOS again, smug grin present and accounted for. The computer's optic expanded completely, then dulled brown in an expression of true disinterest.

Slightly annoyed, but nonetheless satisfied with her accomplishments so far, the woman stared forward into the rubble, stepping up onto a collapsed plank from the ceiling and lingering a few steps into the debris. Out in the distance, she could locate a number of cranes stretching out to another structure farther ahead of the building with the doors. This place had been abandoned in its time of construction. Why would Aperture do _that_? Surely one of the highest technologically-advanced facilities wouldn't let something of this monolithic scale rot and waste.

Unless there was an exigent reason for it.

Shaking her head to clear it, Chell grasped the barrel of the portal gun, shaking it out of its holster. Minding the spikes and subsequently the potato attached to them, she fastened the ASHPD to her arm, slapping her left hand to the barrel and grasping the grip with purpose. Suddenly recalling Nadine, she swung her hips to the left, smiling in repose when the bird peeped softly. It hadn't fallen again, or been hurt whilst in the middle of her descent-by-pole.

Resuming her action of walking along the fallen beam, the test subject observed the rubble around them, eying the several fires warily. Embers dotted the air, their faint orange glow swirling around and around. The smoke was harsh to her lungs, its stench being one of rot and aged chemicals. The test subject didn't appreciate the clogging in her lungs, and she'd had..quite traumatic experiences with fire in her life time. She would not be getting too close to any of the piles of burning flame. Accompanying the fires were random sheets of metal, as well as the ancient dirt of this underground delve.

GlaDOS was swiveling her ocular about too, manipulating its form to see with more accuracy than she originally would've. Chell turned to the left when she arrived at the end of the beam, greeted with the disfigured remains of yet another ample pipe. Like the other she'd went through, this one was also open, and offered a course to the building she'd been trying to get to.

Picking up her pace, she stepped up onto a different beam which had fallen on top of another. These were thinner than the ones she'd been walking on before, so she had to harmonize her motions or take the chance of tumbling off. This was extremely challenging with her left leg. To make matters worse, even with her subtle use of the appendage, it throbbed and ached in arrant scourge. There wasn't much else for her to do, though, so she stomached the pain and kept progressing onward.

Staked on both sides were faintly-printed signs, carelessly hammered into the ground at awkward angles. They were extremely hard to decipher, the paint vibrant but stained so horribly that the letters were unrecognizable, although Chell could read a single word on the newest sign she'd encountered:

**'Out.'**

Wiping away some of the dust and dirt with her left hand, she was able to clean the sign enough so she got its frank message; it said in bold letters **'Stay Out'**. Chell contemplated for all of a hair of a second before traipsing ahead once more.

GlaDOS had been observing, and offered her input.

"It seems likely that we're going the right way."

_Definitely._

Hobbling off the beams when she finally reached the end, Chell patted her thigh tenderly, at the same time looking ahead at the surface of the building. It was made of classic brick, the red and brown hues contrasting with the rest of the atmosphere. This time with no hesitation what so ever she limped over to the building, stopping when she had the ability to actually place a hand upon the bricks. The plaster between each brick had been partially eroded, though not too greatly. Scraping a finger nail against the plaster, the woman found that it crumbled off at her touch, but otherwise was holding up well.

Drawing her gaze upwards, she caught sight of yellow lettering above her head. Backing up, she put distance between herself and the bricked walls, then looked back at the letters to read them. What they said caused her to squeeze the barrel of her gun in disbelieved rage.

'Condemned Testing Area'.

Why was it that she was forever cursed to slam into the inhumane, mind-numbing physical activity known as 'testing'? No matter where she turned, its presence was always _there, _everlasting. Eyes narrowing, she stepped to the side foot over foot, "circling" the building. GlaDOS wisely remained silent, inconspicuously focusing her optic in on the structure as well. Squares were stuck to the walls, peeling at their corners. Scrawled writing filled those squares, and Chell slunk back to the building, holding one of the corners to the wall so she could read the writing. She identified it as a poster. A warning one, at that.

The text read: **'Cosmic Ray Spillation'**.

Blinking, she released the corner and the poster crumbled over itself, hanging on only by its old glue. Interest caught elsewhere, Chell moved further to the right, stopping at the next poster. Its text was much more clear and reverberant, the paper having been laminated unlike its companions. This one read '**Condemned Vitrification Order: 6/15/1961'**.

Staring with wide eyes and an agape mouth at the year, the woman was struck by the sheer age of the Enrichment Center. When had modern Aperture seen the last of its days following GlaDOS god-like promotion? Early 2000's? Late 1900's? Or was 1961 "modern"?

Her memory failed at this strain, not able to comprehend hundreds of years after being frozen for roughly that amount of time in semi-never-ending sleep. However, GlaDOS managed to clarify for her.

"That year is approximately 20 years preceding the earliest records I have of **my **facility. That means this testing track was sealed perhaps due to severe lack of scientific success, granted its dated release."

_So, you have absolutely no clue what lies in here, then? Other than ancient and worthless tests?_

Picking at the corners of this poster, Chell idly tried to pry it off the wall, straining to make out the fine print located at the bottom of the sheet. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but wasn't that the purpose of fine print?

**'Do not look at, touch, ingest, or engage in conversation with any substances beyond this point'**.

Just what kind of twisted humor did Aperture Science **have**? Shaking her head, the test subject gave a final tug that tore the poster off the brick building with a loud 'shhhhrriiikuh!'. Holding it out in front of her with a single hand, she scanned it again, running her thumb along the bottom and stopping it beneath an Aperture logo. This one differed from the one on her jumpsuit though; it was still the ringed aperture that gave Aperture Science its namesake, but in the center of that aperture was an atom. Symbolically, that would symbolize the company's eye for science, that it only saw what could contribute to the growth of Science.

There was a label under the logo, but she couldn't read it. It was just too tiny and faded. As she was preparing to toss the poster to the side, she detected GlaDOS' stare, directed at it. Mischievously she turned around towards the pipe and hurled it as hard as she was able out into the rubble, watching in satisfaction as it tumbled over the metal pieces and out of view. A millisecond of stunned silence. Then the computer groaned dramatically, shaking on the spike of the portal gun.

"Now come on, was that truly necessary?"

Smirking at the potato before backing up a single foot, once more facing the Condemned Testing Area, she felt a sharp taste of reprisal work its way up her throat, coating her tongue and spiking her breath. It tasted bitter, yet sweet. While she didn't like the bitterness, the sweet flavor shoved that to the side, and thus she felt preeminent, rather fulfilled.

_Medicine tastes twice as vile when **you're** swallowing it, doesn't it? _

Returning her expression to that of a blank slate, Chell stared at a gray door directly in front of her. Pasted onto it in a collage of slants were 'Keep Out' signs of all varieties. Naturally she walked up to it, taking the handle in her free hand and yanking downwards. There was a harsh click, and the handle stopped halfway through its rotation that would open the door. Locked. She tried pushing harder, shoving against the door since the majority of everything she'd bumped into had been fragile and easily broken. But the door held, once again.

Undeterred, the test subject stepped to the right, tracing the wall of the building until she came to a low metal grate fastened over an open gap in the bricks. Looking through it, she could see intact concrete flooring, pipes snaking into a hole in the earth, and a 'Keep Out' sign of an intense massive scale.

Not bothering to furthermore dirty her palms, Chell rested her left elbow on the wall, setting that foot on the ground with a flinch. She then forcefully kicked the grate with her right foot, quickly stomping it back down when her other leg cried out in pain.

The grate rattled violently, and before it could cease that action Chell rammed her boot into it again with even more strength, doing so a final time after hearing a _snap_! At the last kick the grate gave in, falling to the ground with a metallic whine. Having surmounted that obstacle, the woman pulled her jumpsuit away from her waist, storing her quantum device and computer-tormenter in the holster.

"I rest my case, however, that does **not** mean I approve of it. Stop putting me against your body. It's excruciatingly worse than having automatic responses encrypted into your system!"

_God...**this** is **worse** than dealing with a **child**._

Twisting the ASHPD so that the spike holding GlaDOS was outwards, away from her side, the woman brought her hand up to her temples and massaged them with a silent sigh. If the AI couldn't stop the insults, couldn't drop the past and work towards the present, she was going to develop a lethal headache. Also, it would only increase the potato's chances of getting discarded during their jaunt.

Deciding to relay this message via body language, Chell snapped her eyes open in a narrow slit, blowing air out of her nose in a slow, but dynamic, exhale. GlaDOS' optic mimicked her own pupils, but gradually expanded, lighting up in a cheerful yellow.

_Oh **no. **She's come up with something, and my gut tells me it won't be an apology._

"Why so sensitive? Surely you haven't forgotten what I told you back in the ridiculously tall elevator shaft, have you? In case you have, here, let me get it for you."

There was the sound of tapes rewinding at a sprinting pace. The test subject found herself stumped on how she could store information, operate at a decent caliber, and insult her while stuck in a form that left her nearly powerless.

"Aah, here we go."

GlaDOS piped contently. She clicked, optic darkening before the recording rolled out of either hidden speakers or the potato's raw skin.

"**Your lack of a reaction indicates that you are uncertain. I assure you, no tricks. All Aperture Personality Constructs can operate at as low as 1.1 volts. This potato generates 1.1 volts. My functions are limited to the bare minimum in order to preserve power; I literally do not have the energy to lie to you." **

Chell pressed her lips. Of course she hadn't forgotten that! It was only what had convinced her to take the computer along for the ride at all. What did that statement even have to do with the current situation, anyway?

"Now to tie that into the present situation; you assume that I continually insult you, correct?"

Nodding, the woman confirmed the inquiry. If GlaDOS knew she was taking what she said as an insult, that was probably the reason she was bothering to speak at all. Chell would have to stop reacting to her, then. It was a simple solution.

"Well, anything I say is the cold hard truth, at least down here. So instead of thinking of them as insults, think of them as stone-hard facts. Which is what they are."

Indignation hurtling against her chest, pressuring her to retaliate, she swallowed it with effort, easing the muscles in her arm. Instead, she offered GlaDOS a lovely view of the side of her head as she turned her attention back to the metal grate, bending down on one knee to get to its level.

Coming to lay on her stomach, she grabbed the sides of the gap and pulled herself in as far as possible, then twisted her body to squeeze through. Her skin touched rough concrete, nothing at all like the smooth tile she'd been walking on her entire testing experience. After getting herself clear of the grate, she pushed herself up on her elbows, pushing herself back into a standing position with her right foot. She felt accomplished that she hadn't needed a wall for support this time.

Adjusting her weight and then facing away from where she'd just came, Chell located a platform that was led up to by a set of stairs. She brushed the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She wrapped her hand around the front of the ASHPD, pulling it out of the jumpsuit. As she was settling it, she began heading towards the platform. Nadine had poked her head out of the pocket some time during all the commotion, and Chell realized with a start that she could have squished the poor thing when crawling through the grate.

Once she'd fixed the gun, she dropped her hand and ran a finger over its head, smiling softly. Chirping happily it nuzzled her finger before jerking its head away again, taking in its new surroundings. Bringing her head side to side as she walked, Chell found that the backside of the brick building serving as the gate into this area was identical to the front. Did that mean they were trying to keep people _in _who wanted to get _out_?

Suspicious, but not wanting to waste time evaluating the possible quagmires of Aperture's antecedents, she merely resumed headway. There was a pipe to her left side that groaned every few seconds. Given its rusty state, it looked ready to burst at any moment. Chell mostly stayed to her right.

The test subject and her partners reached the platform in less than a minute; the distance between it and the wall was miniscule. Raising up to the first stair, Chell climbed them, pulling herself up steadily. The rail was ice cold, but she needed whatever small assistance it had to offer.

Climbing the three stairs proved to be a rather easy task. Soon Chell stood atop the platform, peering out into the gash slashed into the hardened dirt wall. The looming darkness created a tablecloth over the passage, covering what was underneath. To compensate, the woman moved down the platform, closer to the gap.

It was a path, over-hanged by emancipated remains of giant pipes and fallen beams. Dozens of 'Keep Out' signs were jammed into the ground, all within six inches of each other; the passage was utterly off-limits. So, therefore, it was their path of travel. However, there was another lofty drop to it.

With a groan Chell back away from the drop, giving herself a mental scolding for getting injured. It didn't matter that she hadn't had any control over anything once she'd been knocked under; she had survived worse and now one small mistake was ruining her abilities she'd spent countless hours perfecting.

"What are you waiting for? We should go that way, as the objects of most divine interest are usually protected by the intent to divert and lead awry those who seek them."

How true. Chell glanced over to GlaDOS, frowning, touching the side of her thigh with the palm of her hand. The computer manipulated her optic to focus in on where the test subject was resting her hand, further narrowing it when she saw just where. Swinging her optic back to Chell, the AI actually presented her with eye contact as she spoke to her.

"You really **did** hurt yourself, didn't you. Contrary to usual belief, I'm not all that pleased by occurrence at all."

Staring at her quizzically, Chell subconsciously set her injured leg down on its foot, purpose being to hide any weaknesses from predators yearning to make the woman their prey. Strangely, the instinctively behavior was rather accurate given the circumstances. There was a harsh intervention courtesy of GlaDOS following this.

"Stop putting that much weight on it! Pick it up again. Now."

Chell blinked confusedly until she realized that she'd been leaning precariously on the leg. The pain convinced her to abide by the computer's orders, and she obeyed, picking up her leg and resting the knee on a section of the thin wire fence enclosing the platform, save for the open spot leading into the passage. The fence didn't pop out of place, and Chell was grateful for that small fortune. The AI sighed, her yellow light flickering on and off.

"You can't keep setting substantial amounts of weight on it. Judging by the way you carry it, it's broken in some place or another. Do you know what that means?"

Well, first off, she knew that it meant hell in a basket, as far as how this trip was going to be. Scouring through an underground maze with a broken leg? Not going to be pretty.

"It means that if you aren't very careful, it could give out, snap in two, or even puncture through your skin if the bone moves out of its original position enough. It's common knowledge that you wouldn't want any of those possibilities to occur."

Swallowing thickly in discomfort, the woman visualized these scenarios, giving a shudder in thought of her bone jutting out through her skin. She shook her head in agreement, putting her left hand under her chin and watching GlaDOS with a disheartened look; things were beginning to look bleak for them.

"Don't give me that look. If you've proven anything, it's that for every hindrance thrown at you, you can work your way around it."

She huffed, spinning her gaze up and over to the path beyond.

"...Those long-fall boots. They were designed with a number of things in mind."

Chell dropped her stare to the boots, running her look along their surface.

"The thick exterior is to reduce shock to the bones. An elevated heel: to compensate for the lengthy velocity challenge brace. As for that brace itself, it is constructed in such a manner that when the test subject plummets from great heights, both their weight and the force of the fall is distributed evenly to certain sections of the footwear. It also effortlessly corrects unbalance."

Taking it in slowly, the woman was surprised that she actually understood the majority of what GlaDOS had elaborated. Basically, she had explained how the long-fall boot was of assistance to her in testing. However, they still required a pair of legs in order to work properly.

"Each boot is properly coordinated for the foot it is worn on. That way, the test subject will not land off balance and hurtle face-first into a pond of corrosive acid."

_That's considerate. Though..does that mean my feet were studied in order to fit them with these boots?_

A bit disturbed at the thought of having her feet examined while she was unconscious, Chell shifted somewhat, leaning harder on the fence. The computer chuckled, fastening her own look to Chell's boots.

"No, that does not mean the Aperture Science Test Subject Apparel Monitor meticulously checks each and every test subject for their foot dimensions. There's common differences between the left and right postures of the appendages in individuals; they're designed based on those."

_I suppose that makes sense._

"Anyway, relating back, if the boots are specifically made for the foot they're on, and you've been landing on two feet as per normal human behavior, what else do you think the boots have the capacity for?"

Musing, the woman rose up on her right heel, raising her height and then sinking back with a sigh. Then she understood. Chell tapped the side of the ASHPD, quickly pointing to her standing foot and giving a petite hop. The yellow optic lit up in approval.

"Yes. As long as you land on a properly-structured leg, the boot will function accordingly; the landing will be the same as if you still had a set of fully-functioning legs."

Allowing a grin to slip loose, Chell pushed off the fence, delicately pressing her injured foot to the ground and limping over to the drop.

"Now, this doesn't mean that you should rush into anything. Take it slow an-!"

The test subject had leaped off the platform before GlaDOS could finish, her sole leg braced for impact as she fell, arms taut at her sides. The sensation of free-falling left her fear-stricken, for not so long ago had a fall crushed something vitally important to her. She sealed her eyes shut, hoping with every emotion she possessed.

Her boot smacked into the earth, the spring squealing at the sudden impact. She lurched forward, but she was yanked back a moment later by the long-fall boot. It swayed sideways ever so slightly, then halted completely, evenly proportionate and supportive. Peeling her eyes open, Chell stood utterly still, blinking in dazed alleviation.

"You hear an sixth of what I say, don't you?"

GlaDOS sighed, the tones softening as the sound ended. Her optic was appointed to the north, farther down the path Chell had just jumped into.

Regarding the computer then hurriedly hobbling forward, Chell started traveling amongst the foreboding signs, feeling increasingly less and less troubled by them as she headed farther. Repetition didn't breed contempt; it bred indifference.

Her attention jarred when a bright lamp came into view, illuminating both the signs around it beyond. Chell turned to the left, a winding pipe on ground level becoming rather obvious on a lower ground level. As she went on, using the pipe as a visual aid as to where to go, she approached another drop.

Confidence having been built up with the newly-discovered abilities of her boots, the woman hurtled over the ledge, gasping in fright when darkness engulfed her without regret.

Though she was tempted to flail, Chell forced herself to remain stable with her healthy leg outstretched, braving through like a brain-damaged test subject such as herself was expected to do. She was rewarded with another safe landing, one that she ended in a shudder.

She walked briskly, keeping more to the left as to follow the pipe as closely as possible. There weren't any additional signs here; perhaps they'd reached where they were forbidden to access? Chell couldn't tell; it was pitch black aside from a faint glow from behind. In fact, she gradually had to resort to running her hand along the pipe as a sort of guide. Sheets of cardboard flipped over her shoes, and the groaning of pipes could be heard in the distance.

Eventually a greater source of light came into play, highlighting a raised platform, similar to the one she'd jumped off of before. Picking up her pace, Chell limped up the stairs, stepping onto the platform with small clicks from the boots.

Looking from the red switch and the locked gate with yellow and black orange plastic wrapped around the front of its frame, the test subject put two and two together, and grasped the switch, yanking it until it popped out of its locked stance. It shrieked, spitting sparks on her arms. The gate slammed open, the doors rocking lightly.

Chell snatched her hand away, holding it close to her chest. The sparks were falling in a shower above her head as she slipped through the open gate, hopping down the stairs rather than shuffling in order to speed up their progress. As soon as she hit the last stair, strong floodlights snapped on, showing their location in full debut.

"Woah."

_Woah is right..._

In the center of the wall in front of the trio, there was a tremendous monster of a hatch, wires dangling from the ceiling connecting to the top of it. There was nothing else in the room, aside from catwalks leading up to the hatch, and two buildings supported by thin metal beams attached to the walls that had 00 lit in neon red on their front surfaces.

Hesitantly resuming walking forward, the human reached inside her pocket, scooping out Nadine and bringing her to her chest, where she held her (Nadine had a feminine sound to it; she figured she might as well label the bird a female) and stroked her head anxiously. The bird chirped quietly, staying still in the test subject's hand.

Slowly they made their way to the stairs leading up to the catwalk, Chell haggardly stepping up the old stairs, walking along the dented metal when she got onto the actual catwalk. Above her head was a higher platform, leading up to the hatch itself. Assuming there was a stairway up to the higher platform, she continued on. It was a dead-end, a plain white wall. Although, it appeared as if there had once been a door or something of the like there, judging by the marks on the surface.

And above that, was some rather ominous text.

'Abandonment** Hatch to Test Shaft 09 Zulubensen. DO NOT ENTER. Sealed 6/15/1961'**

_Test Shaft...09?_

Chell now knew why she'd seen the label 09 previously; she'd been making her way to this 'Test Shaft', which was a 'Condemned Testing Area', sealed June 15th 1961. It was also forbidden to entrance...but where else did she have to go?

Chell bit her lip, darting her eyes up to the hatch. The catwalk leading to the top portion had been broken; where it would've normally met up with the building resembling a lookout with the neon numbers, it was snapped quite a few feet away.

_That makes me wonder, though. Could these buildings have any importance?_

Squinting through the open doorway, she could make out equipment and more posters. Chell put her bird back into her pocket, giving it an apologetic smile at its protesting complaint. Swinging the ASHPD back into her grip, she fired a portal onto the wall in front of her, then spun on her right heel and shot its corresponding partner onto a wall inside the interior of the building. She slunk through the portals, carefully avoiding the edge so she wouldn't trip.

Once inside, the computer attached to her gun sprang to life, nearly shocking the woman into falling backwards out of her portal.

"I don't believe you should be in here. Let's try to find another way inside that shaft, perhaps you could use your hard head to ram through the walls?"

Staring at her incredulously, Chell lifted the portal device closer to her face, scrunching up her nose in a disapproving scowl. Didn't she want her to investigate, to discover a way back up to the facility so they could all 'live happily ever after'? She was reminded of when GlaDOS had commented that life wasn't a fairytale, and subsequently her mood worsened.

"Seriously, let's just go back the way we came. Don't turn around."

Raising an eyebrow, the woman did what came instinctively, and turned around. There, settled in the middle of a strange piece of equipment, was a large red button. Eying it with interest, Chell got closer, stretching out her arm to press it. There was a growl, mechanized.

"**Don't** touch it. The last time you touched a button you ruined everything."

Halting immediately, Chell snapped her stare back to GlaDOS, feeling stabbing feelings of guilt pierce her soul. There hadn't been a choice then, however, and the same applied here. If she didn't try something they'd be stuck, and also defeated. The woman wasn't willing to let that happen. Shooting the AI a reassuring half-grin, she slammed her hand down on the button.

"YOU IDIO- wait, nothing's happening."

Forcing air through her teeth, the test subject 'sssh!'ed the computer quickly, listening intently to the ticks clicking through the air. Each one had a second of space between it and the next click, and the timed sounds stopped after three in succession. Above her, there was also a count-down clock, the same neon-red as the signs outside. It had been counting down from three.

Sidestepping the equipment, Chell sauntered to the wide glass windows of the lookout, examining the corresponding building she had a perfect view of from her current location. Reaching back, she pressed the button again, tilting her head in thought when the numbers on that neon sign commenced countdown as well.

_This is obviously a time-limit for something, and these two lookouts work in a pair. Thus, there should be another button in the other building!_

Turning and trotting back out the door, Chell pushed up on her toes carefully, spotting a free section of walling on the catwalk connected to the other lookout. She leveled the ASHPD, shooting the blue portal. The one she'd shot in the previous building evaporated with a 'pop'. Spinning the gun around her finger, getting a defiant 'Hey!' from GlaDOS, the test subject fired the orange portal back inside, stepping through it and out onto the farther catwalk, where she walked into the lookout.

She did a double-take, seeing as this room was utterly the same as the other, but sure enough, as soon as she had the blue portal behind her in this room, the button from the previous building was visible through it. In front of her was another button, though a crumbled piece of paper lay face-down on top of it.

Picking it up between two fingers, Chell flipped it over, opening it gently as to not rip the worn material. When she got it unfolded, she uncreased it on her side, then set to reading it.

**'Hatch Override'**.

Scrunching the label in her hand and tossing it over her shoulder, Chell strode up to the button, placing her palm completely around it, glancing over her shoulder, determined expression planted on her visage once again. She felt shuffling in her pocket and she tensed, backing her left foot back a half of a step. At Nadine's baffled peep she slammed on the button, tossing herself through the blue portal in a leap to catch that button as well, barely managing to depress it with the pads of her fingers before the clock struck '1'.

Her ears were bombarded by a deafening roar of beeps and sirens, the lights in the main room darting around in a warning fashion. The sharp noises flew into her ears like shrapnel, eradicating a sense from her five senses. Unable to cover her ears, still aware enough not to drop the ASHPD and GlaDOS, the woman hunched her shoulders forward and squeezed in on herself as tightly as possible, eyes clamped shut and twitching as she strained to conceal her sight to an even greater extent in a vain attempt at shutting off out the bellowing.

The blares were overshadowed by the metallic screams of machinery venting their frustration at their awakening, mechanical parts slamming into each other as they conducted their usual routine after years of dormant stillness. The test subject scrambled for her orange portal, carelessly throwing herself out it and ramming into the device enclosing the now-labeled-as-cursed red button.

Forced to stop her fleeing, Chell gripped onto the side of the equipment, jerking when the room quieted down as suddenly as it had erupted into chaos. Snapping her head up, she stared, astonished, out the glass window of the lookout structure. The great hatch had been risen, hung high above its old post. What the hatch had been concealing was again concealed, in black, the color filling the space easily.

"What a complicated method of opening a conduit gate. I doubt the flamboyant display was entirely necessary."

The woman flickered her eyes to the AI, tightening and then loosening her jaw in cautious correspondence. The woman's distracted behavior must not have convinced the computer, for she began enacting a different tactic to get Chell's entire attention.

"Can you hear me? Hellooooooo~"

She instantly reacted, bunching herself into a defensive crouch, her grip on the portal device strong and adept. The high-pitched 'hello' mimicked the call of those dreaded turrents, beings that Chell hadn't forgotten and likely never would. However, she realized that it was_ GlaDOS_ would had said the pleasantry, judging by the slight hint of smooth superiority lingering in the tone.

Relaxing and standing back into an upright position, the woman clicked her nails on the front end of the gun, pointed a finger to her chest, then lifted up a thumb in a thumbs up.

_Yes, I heard you. You collaboration of depravity, apathy, and sadism. _

Degrading herself for getting irritated, jumpy, the test subject banished her emotions, not counting the soft sigh following a stroke of her avian friend. The AI's optic narrowed and expanded rapidly as she looked from Nadine to Chell, finally settling on Chell.

"Aah, so your poor eardrums haven't busted yet. Next time you are confronted with an unpleasant situation such as this, just compare your pain to what you imagine mine to be. Mental pain, of course, considering I'm stuck with your IQ levels."

Chell, shaking her head to silence the ringing behind her ears, slunk out of the doorway partly, peeking her head out and placing a single foot onto the catwalk. The lights from above made it far more visible on the metal walkways, and within seconds she knew exactly where she'd have to go to make it up to the opened hole in the wall.

Making her way down and around a corner, Chell came to another set of stairs.

"Seems that Aperture's old construction engineers could sense the future; they put in all these stairs for you to conquer, and thus both lose weight and gain the skill of moving about various impediments while under your own."

The test subject wasn't sure to take that offensively or complimentary, so she let the forces even out into a neutral standpoint and just ignored it. Clambering up the last step and coming to a closed gate at the top of the stairs, she took her hand and pushed it, almost stumbling backwards when the gate swung open merely at her touch, blinding light leaving her swaying at first, but then providing a scintillating field of vision that enclosed the once-blackened hidden area sealed behind the Abandonment Hatch to Test Shaft 09.

Almost in comical disbelief, Chell hurried into the alcove, stopping in front of a chair and table, face twisted into an expression of befuddlement. The table was resting on its side, dented and scratched. The chair though sat upright, generally untouched aside from its yellowed cushion. The odd pair sat by a door, its door helpfully labeled with a demonstration on how to open it: take your hands, apply them to the door bar, and push forward. All this was illustrated with a hand and an arrow pointing up. It was maybe the most useful diagram she'd ever seen.

Doing just what the label entailed, she shoved the door open, going into a cold, damp, stone hallway that had another door on the far ahead. Wires, fuse boxes, that was all that adorned the unripened hall. Considering that the walls were pressing against her body, literally, and no where else would yield much results, Chell squeezed her way to that door, having to apply greater strength to get it to open.

It skidded along the ground, leaving a dark rust stain in its wake. Grunting as she leaned against it harder, Chell tumbled forward when it abruptly swung all the way in, the door hitting the wall with a disconsolate clamor. The woman found herself pancaked to the door, nose aching from where it had hit the metal.

_Why can't I go five minutes...five minutes..._

Pulling herself off the door and rubbing at her face, Chell slowed, finger tips resting on her cheek. There were the sounds of creaking metal and water flowing, clinking against whatever lay in their way. A look to the left told her the source of those noises. The door had opened to a walkway that lay on open water, that seemed to stretch for miles endlessly where it didn't end at mangled underground earth. She fully entered, snapping her head behind herself when the door slammed shut behind her, locks clicking into place with several snaps.

_Crap. No going back now._

"Thank god. Now you can no longer linger around places of no interest. Onward, Tooma!"

Staring at GlaDOS in a purely clueless and disturbed fashion, Chell raised her eyebrows. Nadine even had her head sticking out of the pocket, eying the potato with an unblinking stare. Though that could have just been because she was hungry. Nonetheless, Chell figured it added to the scene.

"Oh. That's an acronym. T.O.O.M.A. It applies to you. Don't ask me what it stands for however; it's for me to know and for you to never, ever, ever...find out."

Towards the end of her sentence the computer darkened her tone, constructing her articulations out of malevolence itself. Awkwardly shifting, the test subject grimaced, then made her way forward, not favoring her bestowed nickname. The AI was happily gazing in the direction that Chell was walking, content for now.

_You're seriously a real quean , sometimes, GlaDOS. I hope you know that. But then again, you 'know everything', so you have to already know._

There was a sign that warned of the dangers of the water; Chell decided to consider it the same as the acid GlaDOS had implemented in several of her test chambers. Luckily, rails kept her relatively safe from the corrosive liquid, and the passage appeared to have been designed for people strolling through this underground labyrinth, if the sign and smoothly-crafted tile flooring were any indication.

Chell came to another set of three steps, though the bottom step was partially underwater, in the acid water. Taking a risk and stretching her left leg out to set on the second step, she grasped the railing of this stairway and pulled herself up to the catwalk above, yelping at the harsh flare of pain that jumped up her muscles, racking her nerves. She was able to catch her footing before her leg gave, and thus she stood at the top, holding onto the heel of her left boot with a hand.

"Idiot. I told you not to do that anymore."

_How else would have I gotten up? Either way I was going to have to put pressure on it, or, Option B: Willingly walk into corrosive water. Do the math._

She let her foot down gently, guiding it onto the catwalk completely before releasing it. Testing it, finding the leg gingerly spasming, Chell let out a resigned sigh, pulling it up to her knee as she'd done priory in this undertaking.

As she was still looking at her feet, the woman was able to see the water lazily flowing underneath her feet through the catwalk, thick and sizzling with fatality. Chell was a fly dancing on the teeth of a Venus Fly Trap, and she was fully aware of that. Getting onto a solid support was a priority.

Her spring of her boot clicked dully when she hopped forward, holding a deep gratification that the boot corrected any semblance of the negligible instances of instability. Along the walk were 'intersections' that broke off into an observation platform, presumably for gazing out into the dense fog in the horizon.

Tremors shook the flimsy catwalk, nearly knocking the test subject lopsided on more than a few occasions.

"Those oscillating trembles come from the above facility; **my ** facility. Although the Enrichment is uncongenial powerful as far as its power turbines go, they shouldn't rattle the earth to the core."

Stopping, the test subject tilted the ASHPD to the side, cocking her head to the side as well at the computer.

"What I'm implying is that something has gone wrong. Horribly, sincerely, audaciously wrong."

There was a minute of thoughtful silence, though it was cracked by the groaning of the earth-woven walls, flowing of acid water, electric zaps, and the sleeping breath of the bird resting in Chell's jumpsuit pocket.

_So. Cute._

Chell was seriously considering melting, but that consideration was scared out of her following GlaDOS sharp rendition.

"It's that **moron**! He's probably tearing the threads of fragile data to shreds, infecting the simplest of processes with his idiocy! Even the weighted storage cubes will weep to make less the grief."

Wincing at the forcefulness of 'moron', Chell pressed a digit to her lips, shushing air out through her teeth in a soft whisper. Indignified, GlaDOS' optic expanded, sharpened, and shone a much heftier yellow.

"Are you _shushing_ me? Just because you cannot form a single word doesn't require that I stoop to your level. You'd be damn pissed if someone strolled into your domain and took the reins, wouldn't you? Reins that were specifically created for **you**, and that had been controlled by you for as long as you'd existed. How would you like for those to be snatched from you by a petty press of a button? Hrm?"

Chell was flinching uncomfortably, guilt slowly working its way back into her soul and digging a winter burrow. The computer was radically enraged, her normal monotone vanished as emotions began boiling over in a stream of words.

"Why did you even follow that imbecile anyway? Did you not pick up on the sheer amounts of ignorance he houses just by being within five hundred feet of his gross sphere body?"

"I'm not sure who I'm angrier at: You, for ruining my life twice, or myself for being generous enough to keep you around after the first time you did so."

"There's only two types of beings in the world. Those that observe and those that demolish."

"This entire fiasco would have never happened if you'd simply died in the first four test chambers like all the others. But no, you had to be the despicable, troubling outlier that I only kept around to contribute to science, and you **ruined it.** You have **ruined science**, do you know how difficult that is to do? It's an entire subject, an entire career, an entire classification of study! And you've utterly eliminated it with your gross, overweight carc-"

The AI abruptly sparked, her aperture shrinking in fear before a _'bzzzt'_ entered the air, and her optic cut off cold. At first, Chell felt as if time was churning in slow motion behind her eyes. Then her mouth fell open and she was holding the portal gun close to her body, tapping her nails on the gun with an anxious gasp.

She could no longer hear the whirring of processors, the familiar yellow optic was absent, and it was eerily silent. Feeling waves of fright and worry slam into her the woman fumbled with the ASHPD, trying to awaken the dead.

GlaDOS persisted to be unresponsive, all evidence that she was animated at all gone.

_No. You've died twice; you can't actually die now over **nothing**. You're always coming back like a weed; prove it again._

Still nothing. Narrowing her eyes in determination, Chell grabbed the spike accommodating the computer, and gave it a twist, roughly bending it out of its true position. Someone up there had mercy, for the AI's optic blared to life, and the computer herself coughed, her processors coming online once more. The woman let go of the spike, but kept the ASHPD near herself, watching GlaDOS in concern.

"Ergh..wha-..what happened? How long was I out? It felt like I blew a PSU."

Shakily letting out a sigh of relief, Chell took the gun back to its proper setting, offering GlaDOS a small, and slightly apologetic, grin. The AI had trouble focusing, but she noticed Chell, shown by the irritated huff she directed her way.

_Heh, that's right. Come back kicking, weed. _

"Okay, enough emotional rampages. We'll deal with that all later. For now, let's just continue navigating this wasteland. Move Tooma."

_Stop ordering me around..Dandelion._

Casting her a warning gaze, Chell tapped her arm, converting her face to a smug expression.

"Fine. Please advance so we won't become artifacts of the past."

Accepting that, she resumed heading ahead, taking caution not to provoke anything within the AI again, even though she'd forbidden any outbursts of emotion. You could never tell with sadistic supercomputers, after all. Huge floating spheres dotted the surface of the water, their almost diamond-like pattern peeking out from the light waves. They were as large as an average building, yet they had been conquered by the rust and algae that now clambered all over them.

The one she was focusing on was severely damaged, most of its covering plating ripped from it, its constructing beams visible through the gaps. It appeared to be hollow, though filled with water given its present predicament. She wondered what kept it floating.

There were wires dangling from the ceiling, disappearing into the deep of the liquid. However, when she came to the second of these strange spheres, the top was visible. Connected to that top were wires, straining as they were stretched past their limits in order to stay connected to the object.

_Those require electrical power? What on earth could they be?_

Her stare, still locked on the orbs, ended up drifting far into the distance, thorough the hazy fog. As if her eyes had commanded it, the fog suddenly lifted, flying away in doleful wisps of gray. Clarification came to her field of vision, the edges of material bodies redefining at the exit of the smog. A tall structure was able to be seen, the catwalk she'd been walking on wrapping around it and continuing upward all around the building in a 360. It served as a core, and a target as well.

Mechanical grinds and groans of protest from the aging metal under her feet begged her not to pursue her target, but the test subject did, shoulders straightening and chin lifting high. She passed underneath a higher catwalk before reaching more stairs, which she climbed with relative ease despite their increased number. Her injured leg still throbbed though, so she let it continue to hover, if only for a brief break.

The catwalk leading to the structure was broken, par for the course, Chell figured out when she'd turned at the top. Jagged and irregular, the edges that remained of the broken edge of the walk told a story of austere removal, sour annihilation. However the view above spoke another tale, a diamond-speckled sphere suspended above the 'core', powerful supports clinging to the orb and keeping it in place. Its wires were placated in their nonrestrictive formations, having the option to swing in their fittings.

Above that orb, the woman could see the shadow of another. Were they connected? How did the ones sunken in filthy water meet their fate without knocking the others to their end as well?

"Those spheres are extending high-wards. Let's get to them. That structure they're hovering above would be an old elevator shaft. My guess is that it will take us up to the spheres, considering it's still operational."

_But how to get there?_

Taking the road that was able to be traveled by, she turned left, winding around a corner and then following the walk in the opposite direction that she was previously going. It wasn't professing outcome, but it was an alternative solution that had possibility. GlaDOS realized that too. She didn't complain. Nadine, however, did. Chirping pout-fully, the bird nuzzled roughly against Chell's side, impatient with being inside the jumpsuit. Her feathers tickled through the fabric, inciting the woman to concede.

She fished the animal out, cupping her in her palm. Golden eyes shining in joy, Nadine hopped onto the woman's arm, crawling up it down to her elbow. Unable to stop the giggles that resulted from the ticklish sensation, Chell arched her arm, and her bird scrambled up her upper arm, stopping once she'd attained a view while situated on the test subject's shoulder.

Chell turned her head to look at her, blowing a small puff of air softly into her face. Nadine shook herself in response, green blotches illuminating briefly, then fading. Affectionately grinning then bringing up her hand to pet her, Chell resumed her walking slightly hindered by her distraction of her bird, but not giving anything of semblance to a care. Nadine's feathers were smooth, it felt warm with all the lights enlightening the walkway, and there was a door she was progressing towards. There really couldn't be anything in this direction and she wouldn't mind at-Wait, there was a door!

Dropping her hand, the woman attempted a trot, minorly succeeding as her pace increased and she came to the door. It had caved in, tattered debris spilling out onto the catwalk, its complex system of locks broken. She was able to fit the firing end into the gap provided and stick a portal onto a wall inside, smirking when she heard it pop into being. Just like in testing, everything was falling into place by her, a line of dominoes arranged into an extravagant mosaic of black and white.

Chell was startled when there was a peep in her ear, literally **in** her ear, and she was surprised to see that she'd forgotten to put her partner back into her pocket. She hadn't slipped off her shoulder however, reminding the test subject of the bird's assertive grip on her finger. Maybe it would be okay just to allow her to sit there instead of cramming her into a pocket? It wasn't like she could fly away, and although that made Chell feel bad, she also felt relieved that Nadine couldn't leave her, selfishly so. The animal had allayed her internal need for a living emotional tie to the world, and Chell had no motivation to sever the tie.

"Put that thing back. It's going to attempt suicide once more when you aren't watching it closely with a pair of lovey-dovey eyes."

_'Lovey-Dovey' eyes? Does that **bother** you, miss potato?_

In spite she made that exact pair of eyes at Nadine, almost bursting into laughter when the bird actually tried to copy her. They certainly were a pair of love birds, pun intended! Immediately afterward she limped ahead, taking notice and enjoying the irritated grumbles of the machine.

She'd been preparing to fire a portal onto the wall and pass into the hallway of the collapsed door, but in her content merriment Chell had went too far, and instead had met up with another door. This one was locked. It also had a sign that read 'Vitrified, Caution: Contaminated Area'.

Roughly, she distanced herself and the door, blinking hard at the label to the left of the door.

_**To Test Chambers 1-200**_

Two hundred test chambers at such an early year for scientific study of this scale. Aperture was an overachiever even in its prehistory. All of them were contaminated, too? What had occurred here in this desolate underground science facility? For some reason, the test subject had a sense she didn't want to find out.

* * *

><p>This took forever. Do you know how hard it is to write when unmotivated? Extremely hard, that is what it is. That's why this chapter is so late...but! Look at the word count on this. Over double the original chapter, and 30 pages on OpenOffice. Hopefully this chapter's length will make up for its lack of promptness. I was considering making it longer, but I didn't want it to drag on and on. So I have a basis for the next chapter, which means it could potentially come out earlier than I anticipated. Woo~<p>

Now to address something that some of you may pick up on.

Nadine actually does not rhyme with Iodine, if you pronounce it right. It's a french word, so it is said as Na-DEEN.. However, if Chell can barely get English words correct, she's not going to know anything dealing with French. She doesn't even know it's a true word; to her it's a creation of her imagination. Thus, she says it as Na-dine, like fine dining.

Mmm, another thing. If you can figure out what T.O.O.M.A. stands for, I'll laugh so hard. And perhaps write an extra thousand words on the next chapter.

Anyway, sorry for the lateness again! Review if you'd be so kind, I love reading them!


	5. The Way of the Intuition

**Another chapter? Surprise!**

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><p>~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~<p>

_That..is a hell load of test chambers._

Mentally stating the obvious, Chell reached out to the sealed door, flinching at the harsh coldness seeping into her skin from the metal. Noting the strange mechanism fastened to the middle of the door, her inquisitive nature drew her to tug on the tight cords spun in a wagon wheel around a single, circular shape.

The cords barely moved a centimeter, their purpose being to fasten securely to their post. It wasn't hard to determine what the absolute role of the contraption was; it was a lock. Surely, it was not the advanced locks she'd encountered on her treks through modern Aperture, but its structure was logical and spitefully effective; it wouldn't unlock, even after hundreds of years of being in a humid, eroding breadth of dirt.

Tapping a nail against the ASHPD again, Chell looked to GlaDOS, nodding to the label on the wall. Nadine strode back and forth across her shoulders, contently enjoying her new-found freedom and reliance all the while being oblivious to the woman's demeanor towards the bolted door and its accompanying label. The AI narrowed her optic at the test subject, her electronic voice containing a sneer.

"Yes, that door likely **does** lead to 200 Aperture Science Test Chambers. That's the purpose of the label. It's even printed in discernible yellow."

Chell heaved a sigh, shaking her head as she turned and clipped a heel in front of herself, moving ahead again. GlaDOS was incredibly pleased by this, shown by the return of her smug, cocky monotone.

"I do say, you catch on..slow. Regardless, it's better than nothing. Also, you know what they say: Better late than never."

Actually, she **did not **know that they said that. Who was 'they' anyway? The computer's data sources?

"You're confused again. This happens way too often in my presence. I mean, it's understandable, but come on now."

Slightly offended, Chell made it a point not to show it, but instead dropped the portal gun's grip back to her pair of fingers, dangling and twirling the gun, but still keeping it from falling to the ground and smashing into a hundred, polished pieces. The action had the desired effect, the potato garbling and frantically spluttering.

She didn't stop until GlaDOS spat out that she could spot something further in the distance that resembled another gray door, and before Chell could dismiss that a dull glint caught her eye, abruptly halting her spinning of the ASHPD. She hadn't twirled it as long so thus the groans from the computer weren't as dramatic, but she still managed to make it sound as if the test subject had slammed her into an aerial faith plate time after time, watching on as it slammed her into the ceiling then back onto the plate, only to repeat again endlessly.

The next door was reached with a rushed shuffling, halted when she stood in front of it and leaned precariously on her right leg, gripping onto her gun with both hands with her palms wrapped firmly around the barrel. This one had a lock, and a label as well. However, this label was..different.

**'Underground Train to Test Shafts'**

At first, she wondered just what 'test shafts' were. Probably shafts containing tests, that could be a possibility. Then she jumped at what she had just read, rocking backward on her heel of her wounded leg, causing her to yelp and the bird clinging to her shoulders to stumble with a cry of chagrin. She swung herself back into composure in the next moment though, heart thumping up at the single word that somehow, someway, she recalled that its purpose was transportation. Fast transportation. Efficient transportation. _**Train.**_

Excitedly waving at the computer attached to her gun, Chell forgot that she wasn't supposed to show any emotion to GlaDOS, a true grin lifting up her face and shining her eyes. GlaDOS was word-lost, 'squinting' her optic then cutting it on and off in rapid blinks. Still not remembering her withdrawal of emotions whenever the AI was concerned, the woman huffed, pointed forcibly at the words on the wall, and then glared at the foreign lock keeping it closed.

"You want in there, hm?"

_Yup._

Making eye contact, Chell nodded.

"Well, it's locked, as you can see. I have no way to unlock it. Even if I was in my mainframe, I don't have control over any of this area..."

GlaDOS trailed off, deep in thought. Her aperture suddenly shrank into a tiny dot, that she swung up and over Chell's shoulder. Chell looked that direction as well, watching in an almost hypnotized fashion as a loose wire practically glided in their direction, rouge sparks serving as its propelling force.

It curved through the air, slowly spiraling as it fell from wherever its previous post had been. It was almost weightless, in the sense that it did not appear that it was having any issue moving through the air at all, despite the conditions. A tell-tale tear at its end told of its escape from its home, a runaway prancing away from the oppression it had always known.

The test subject didn't recognize any danger until the tight voice of GlaDOS barked 'Move!'. The word got an instant reaction from her; she flung herself the way she came, scrambling as she tried and failed a running flee. She felt a flash of pain, and suddenly her left knee caved, bumping the ground and throwing her forward. Chell went limp, allowing the blows to happen if only to reduce her chance of injury.

Sequencing rapidly, the events incited by her rushed dash passed without her having much grasp on their occurrence.

She ended up with her legs strewn, her back leaning on the rails, panting as she stared with her head turned towards the doors. Her timing couldn't have been better, for the thick wire slammed into where she had **just** been standing, tumbling over onto the platform itself and writhing with bitter lunacy.

There was a wrathful spitting of sparks and then painful groaning from the catwalk, which rocked under the pressure of the force of the wire. Distance had disillusioned its size; once it had been a small, innocent inanimate object twirling harmlessly, now it was a extensive and voltaic nightmare. It was a snake as it wrapped itself around the rails of the catwalk, the rest of it curling and smacking onto the walk itself.

The electric energy caused the wire to flail, like the lost tail of a lizard, left as a sacrifice for a greater chance at life, at survival. It finally crumbled by the toes of her feet as it ended its struggled landing, sparking weakly and then falling silent, dead.

The only sounds were Chell's lungs, breathing in and out quickly in an attempt to restore air to the body that had gulped down to its lowest reserves in those feeble seconds. Her heart was pounding, and her injured leg was purely **engulfed **with pain, sharp aches that made her want to bite through her tongue onto the bottom floor of her mouth.

"You see, this sort of distracted focus can lead to dire consequences."

The ASHPD has never left her grip, still clenched onto with firm fingers. At the AI's voice however, she set the gun near the rear of her, opting to use her hands to work the throbs out of her left leg. Chell mainly concentrated on the thigh. While the rest of the appendage certainly hurt, there it was if the pain had manifested itself into a merciless ball, and was radiating to the rest of the leg. She'd never had any issues with her thigh previously, then again she hadn't fallen over 3,000 meters, but she had found out at least a sole thing: **It **_**hurt.**_

Massaging the muscle had little effect, but she continued regardless, already beginning to pull the leg up, preparing to stand and get going again. She got her spring heel on the catwalk, and took her hands away from her thigh, instead planting them at either side of her. The wrap around her hand caught in the floor somewhat, and she irately jerked it free, shaking it, glaring at the now-slightly-ripped cloth.

Out of the blue, a metallic shriek caused her to jump, clenching her fist closed.

"AGH, get away you savage! Direct your needless acts of gluttony towards [TEST SUBJECT NAME HERE], I mean Tooma!"

_What the-_

A surprised glance backwards to see who had stumbled upon the trio gave Chell the hilarious sight of innocent Nadine perched on top of GlaDOS, pecking at the corners of her optic in earnest. She blinked prior to laughing silently in the inside, stretching out an arm and snapping her fingers. Nadine froze, cautiously turned her head to the side..then abruptly hopped as fast as her stilt-like legs would allow when she caught sight of who was beckoning to her.

"Thank **god.**"

The computer let out a sigh of relief, though she cut it off when she moved her gaze and saw the animal climb up Chell's fingers.

"I don't understand how you could possibly even allow that creature to touch your skin. There is a reason why there were not any birds in my test chambers; don't you realize how unsanitary they are?"

As her companion took her rightful place on Chell's shoulder, the woman shook a finger at the potato, closing her eyes and shaking her head as well.

_Now now, Miss. GlaDOS. We don't insult others who actually have it better than we do._

She made a gesture toward the AI and grinned smugly.

_For that is called bullying and will be punishable by a flick to the face casing, courtesy of my finger._

GlaDOS actually **rolled her optic** at Chell, a prerecorded yawn easing out of her speakers.

"You don't intimidate me, if that's what you're hoping to do. Honestly, you'd be better off swallowing a sponge and attempting to soak up the acidic liquid underneath our feet."

_Hmph, the feeling is mutual._

The test subject scanned the vegetable up and down, raising an eyebrow while raising her left hand to her shoulder, stroking the side of her bird's face when she nuzzled against her finger. GlaDOS looked over the test subject as well, producing harsh snaps within her organic frame, narrowing her golden orb at the human.

"Don't get too conceited just yet. After all, without me, you are as good as dead. Before you attempt to sorely protest against that, yes: I too realize that without you, I'm about as useful as a white crayon on standard paper."

The AI lowered her processors' noises back to their gentle murmur, her optic dulling to match.

"That was your compliment for the day. Congratulations. Hopefully that will be enough motivation for you to continue this endeavor. If not,well, I do not suppose you wou-"

Chell had staggered back onto her two legs mid-sentence, and now stood with a pained sway over the computer overlord. She hurriedly snatched the portal device from the ground, fastening it to her arm with a soft slap as the plastic hit her skin. Her injured leg soon rested on its toe once more, the woman facing towards the slain wire. It blocked her passage to the two doors, including the passage to the train.

"Aah, there we are. Doesn't appear like we have the option of using locomotive transportation anymore. Not that we ever did in the first place, but it's just completely out of the picture presently."

There was a sinking feeling of loss, but it was soon risen again by common sense. The train would not work. It utterly wouldn't. It had been far too long, time-wise, and even if by some miracle the iron horse **did **function correctly, would Chell be able to drive it without running off the rails? Likely, no. GlaDOS was not programmed to manually drive one either. She could likely control it by overriding the systems, but in her weakened state it wasn't a wise idea.

As if to further condone that old thought, the gigantic wire abruptly spat out a last burst of sparks, twisting and grinding against the metal of the catwalk and curling over and around the frames of both doors. The entire walk shuddered, then stopped with a soft sigh, the additional weight applying pressure, but not enough to break the stubborn metal's structure. A small electric current still ran through the cord, evident by the nearly-invisible blue waves heart-monitoring up and down its surface.

"You see, this place is a disgrace of an outdated scientific facility with a far greater capacity for hazards than discoveries. We need to continue."

Nadine chirruped in agreement, fluttering her good wing and getting closer to Chell's neck, where she plopped herself down and stared ahead. Glancing at the animal, then at the computer, Chell nodded once, and slowly walked down the catwalk, her line of sight centered around the last door available to her, with its caved exterior and the tumbled contents outside the doorway. Carefully stepping around the objects of hindrance, she checked to make sure that the portal she'd fired inside was still there. Sure enough, the ring spun in its full glory, a proud geometric loophole within reality.

Sidestepping now, Chell fired then slid through the partner portal, emerging in yet another claustrophobic hallway. Squeezing herself straight, she faced ahead, heading forward and at the same time avoiding the dusty pieces of insulation donning the small area.

She had expected to come to another 'push-here' door at the end of the corridor, but instead she was met with an advanced sliding door, varying locks holding the two parts of it together. There was glass at the very top, though it was smeared and foggy; Chell couldn't see anything out of it.

To her left, however, was a breaker. Next to it was a labeled box, and one of those items listed on the label just so happened to be 'Automated Doors'. So, Chell pulled it. Immediately, and silently, the locks opened, and the door slid away, allowing the trio entrance. Having strode into fatal tests time after time again, the test subject simply limped on through, ignoring the nervous pitter-patter of Nadine across her shoulders and the cautious way in which GlaDOS was darting her aperture around.

To where they entered, it looked deserted. Dirt caked the walls, and cobwebs dangled from the lights above. But this was a place of human occupation, obvious by the high platform, and conspicuous metal sign from Aperture's past. The atom hung proudly above the earth, its once shined surface currently rusted and worn. The AI glanced over to it as well, zooming in on the sign's letters with a series of buzzes.

No one was expecting a sudden blaring of trumpets when Chell set her foot down a half-step ahead. Startled beyond measure, the test subject almost fled, but forced herself to freeze instead, staring up at the ceiling with an open mouth, the triumphant music violating her eardrums.

_**'Welcome, gentlemen, to Aperture Science. Astronauts, war heroes, Olympians: you're here because we want the best and you are it.'**_

The loud, booming voice rang throughout the room, kindling a flinch from the woman and a disapproving grunt from GlaDOS. There was a hiccup, and Chell was able to establish that what they were hearing was a recording, and not an actual human being welcoming them into Aperture Science. Disappointment reigned.

_**'So, who is ready to make some science?'**_

_'I am!'_

A staged dialogue session came into play, the deep voice of the man contrasting with the gentle feminine one. Nadine gave a nervous chirp, and GlaDOS appeared ready to fire off a comment. That's when the atom enclosed within Aperture's logo shook loose of its bearings, and plummeted straight to the floor with a deafening _**clank**_!

All three of them stared at the rattling metal, the only sound apparent anymore. Apparently, the force of the atom hitting the floor had knocked the recording offline.

"Hm. If the basic building blocks of life itself don't even want to contribute to the science in this underground waste bucket, then quite frankly I feel a trace amount of pity for these Aperture pioneers. I hope they at least had raccoon hats for the winter."

Unable to restrain the smirk that fitted smoothly across her facial features, Chell shook her head in exasperation, pointing to the ceiling and giving a shrug. The AI looked up as well, flickering her optic when she'd found what she'd been looking for. Following her gaze, the human saw what she had been expecting; a megaphone acting as the PA system in this older Enrichment Center.

"What you just heard was a recording, nothing more, nothing less. Rest assured that 600 years have been enough to end the life functions of the people involved in the broadcast, so they won't be creeping all around you while you're asleep. Unless they're like you, of course."

_Anticipated that._

Chell rolled her eyes, resuming her walk with only minimal hindrance. The test subject was a woman of habit, and thus, she formed them swiftly. Getting around with a broken leg was almost natural to her with all the 'practice' she'd been through; by keeping her left leg relatively tense when putting it to the ground, swinging most of the weight to her right, she was able to spare herself extreme discomfort. It wasn't the healthiest thing for her, but it worked and that was all she cared about at the moment.

Her objective? Somehow reach the top of the platform. There was a large billboard there, as well as a shattered catwalk to another alcove off to her far right. She **would** have considered trying the alcove instead, but it stood 20 feet above her, nothing but a bare, vertical wall to use as a climbing aid. The woman's judgment told her to access the available locations before attempting anything further. Chell trusted her sense.

No ladder to the platform, but white panels covered the wall, aged and undeniably regular wall foundation, not panels under an AI's command. Because of that, they didn't resist when Chell fired a portal onto the jutted section of wall in front of her. But where to put the other one?

The testing subjective well-dug into the center of her brain pulled up its bucket, the answer dripping from the pail as it over-flooded in fat, clear trickles. Pulling the ASHPD up, she fired an orange portal above what appeared to be a boarded-up exit, hopping to the edge of the blue one and gripping the ring's edge. She was now high, looking down at the metal constructing the horizontal surface.

In foresight, Chell moved the ASHPD to her left hand, and then carefully grabbed Nadine in her right. Bestowing a kiss on the animal's head in apology, she put her bird back into her pocket, holding it shut until she stopped wriggling. She didn't want this jump to sent the avian falling.

"Excellent thinking. By touching your lips to it, you have just increased your chances of contracting salmonella by 50%. Considering that you are motivated by impairments..that is a splendid addition to your medical monstrosity."

_I'm perfectly healthy aside from my lack of voice, and the neurotoxin that may or may not still be in my lungs._

The test subject lowered her gaze to a dull, emotionless void, directed towards the supercomputer.

_Even if I cannot remember...even if there's not a single pleasant memory inside myself..._

Violently biting down on her lip until she could taste metal, she chased the thought away, swallowing hard. Sensitive when the matter of her memories came into light, Chell degraded herself for bringing them up herself, for bruising her own disheartened soul.

_I'm healthy._

GlaDOS was staring at the test subject in silence, which Chell acknowledged with a harsh sharpening of her stare, flaring her nostrils in an almost animal-like act that begged the question: _**What**_**?**

That yellow optic flashed in a simulated blink, then morphed to form a curious pupil looking at the woman at an angle.

"What were you thinking about just then?"

_As far as you're concerned, nothing._

The test subject broke her eyes away from the computer, silently denying GlaDOS the explanation she desired. Reacting slowly, the AI grumbled a few indescribable phrases, which Chell discarded.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Carry on doing your mundane navigation exercises."

Tone being that of a pout, GlaDOS said this certain statement ostentatiously, irritation clinging onto her motherboard, infecting her processes like a virus. As she finished speaking, the woman shot her a sideways glance, unsympathetic and unyielding. Then, she promptly hurtled into the portal, emerging out of orange.

For a single second, she felt as if she was floating in midair. Soon however, she was falling, right leg stretched with her left bent at the knee. It was a good two and a half seconds before she landed on the platform, the boot rocking side to side. Chell waited until it had ceased, staggering onward to the billboard.

Not much was explained on it, aside from the name 'Aperture Science Innovators' and the company's founding date: 1947.

Cocking her head at the date, she recalled GlaDOS' previously saying that she had no records before 20 years ahead of 1961..so no records before 1981. Aperture Science 'Innovators', as was the name at this time period, was founded 34 years out of the computer's knowledge. A lot could happen in a time frame like that, Chell was aware. There was bound to be some technology down here that was outdated; would any of it even work?

Not that she **needed** any 'technology' aside from the ASHPD, but a functioning, non-sentient computer could be of assistance to her, surely. There was only one way to find out if there was anything useful to her escape here; to trudge forward again. It was time to reach that alcove.

Giving a groan, Chell turned around to see if there was perhaps another breaker that would help her get over to the alcove. All that met her was the boarded up exit, but she walked over to it anyway, squinting at the horizontal brown and cream sign pasted above and beside the large frame.

'**Elevator to Surface'**

_This is the way out!_

Desperately, she dug her fingernails underneath a board, attempting to pry it off with all her might. The want, no, **need** to get to the elevator gave her strength, swelling her ego and boosting the already-dominating tenacity of her being. However, the boards had been nailed in firmly. She couldn't get the exit exposed.

Feeling angry tears pricking at the back of her eyes, Chell slammed a fist into the boards, resting her forehead against the rough wood while her hand throbbed. A dusty draft urged her to look to her left, and although it spurred a harsh intake of breath when she did so, the woman slid her eyes to the side. It was a rusted grate, barely a foot in width but taller than the exit itself, beside the door. Looking through it, she could see the inner mechanisms for the surface elevator, unharmed inside their chamber of isolation. A button in the center of its rail, integrated in a small rectangular box, blinked in repetition. It was green.

Inhaling deeply, the test subject pulled herself away from the boards, staring at that light until her eyes burned.

_It's active._

She let out a languid huff of a chuckle, taking several steps backward.

_It's **active, **yet I can't get to it._

Irony didn't escape her, rather it embraced her with its air of stench and apathy. Escape was always dancing at her fingertips, skipping between and around her legs as it avoided capture. At times, she could literally taste victory, a strong sweetness on the tip of her tongue, a jubilant coating on the roof of her mouth. It was within an arms reach, but every time the woman tried to graze her palms along its surface, her freedom would recoil and be lost, almost as if Chell was too tainted for it. Perhaps she was.

Perhaps her time spent in Aperture had scorched her innocence in perfect arrays, leaving black ashes where once there was white snow. The ways of her days had installed upon her a new way of thinking, a certain process of mashing down emotions and sections of the human empathy in order to progress, to _**survive**_. She was no longer the test subject who awoke in her relaxation vault and stumbled into the glass walls when she attempted walking with those foreign heel-springs.

No, she'd beaten the odds, escaping the clutches of GlaDOS and the flames. Hidden in the AI's blind spot, Chell had eventually confronted her in her chamber, a feat worthy of a pat on the back. But that wasn't all. She had set foot in that computer's chamber with a mission. In the end she accomplished it, too. She became a murderer.

Though the stars eventually aligned in her favor, they tended to align in the south instead of in the north, and she found herself with the upper hand in short spans. Then, it would all crumble; the cards would scatter out of her hands and across the floor, and when Chell finally seized a card, flipping it over as the others shuttered past her, it turned out to be the Joker. Wheatley was the prime example.

The plain thought of Wheatley sent waves of sadness over the woman, the feeling of betrayal sinking in to her heart. Personality cores, the spherical objects she'd carelessly incinerated in order to slay the mechanical queen of Aperture..were sentient. Her surprise at Wheatley's self-awareness would have made GlaDOS herself laugh at Chell's utter stupor; their first 'conversation' had been Chell trying to get across that she was astonished that the core was speaking to her. That hadn't work out too well, for now, according to him, she had brain damage.

A light smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she let it. Giving a silent sigh, she fit her fingers inside her jumpsuit pocket, rubbing at the feathers of Nadine's scrawny stomach. She received a soft coo in response. Even if the British AI had all but let her die, Chell couldn't help but feel some sort of affection for the personality core that had shown the first feelings, emotions, towards her.

It had caught her off guard, made her wary and suspicious. She'd considered leaving him during their first trek around the Enrichment Center. However, for some reason, she had not. In return, he helped her escape, again. Then, together, they braved GlaDOS chamber a second time, with a very ambiguous 'plan' indeed, if you could even call it such. But they had conquered the malevolent AI a second time, with a chance on-the-dime solution.

Sometimes on-the-dime solutions aren't the best decisions to make. In the end, here she was, crawling through the oldest of the old remnants of Aperture with her ne- former nemesis and current partner. Reminded of her dilemma, Chell slowly broke from her pondering, blinking at GlaDOS as a way of communicating that she was focusing once more.

The AI snapped her optic from behind the woman, widening as it met her eyes. It shrunk enormously, then GlaDOS broke away from the gaze, preferring to examine the catwalk under Chell's feet. Flickering an eye back, the test subject managed to see that the computer had been looking through the grate as well.

Lightly, she touched the side of the front of the ASHPD, successfully gaining a response from the computer.

"Yes...what is it?"

GlaDOS still had her optic trained on the ground, refusing to merely glance at Chell. The woman waited a couple seconds, squeezing the gun's side and feeling the smooth surface. She still didn't see a change in the AI's behavior. Frowning, and although with extreme qualms, Chell cautiously touched the side of GlaDOS' temporary face plating with the pad of a finger, finding it warm to the touch.

Immediately, the optic dimmed into a calm yellow, expanded into a restful shape. Surprised, Chell at first pulled her finger away, unnerved by this behavior she'd never seen in the computer before. Though, it also presented her with a curious new inquiry.

So, she resumed touching the AI just beneath the aperture and increased the pressure of her finger, running it along the plating. GlaDOS hiccuped as if in shock at the sudden contact again, then remained in her content state, processors humming, nearly purring. It was when Chell had started rubbing circles around her optic and the humming had reached a crescendo that she pulled her hand away, returning it back to the grip chamber of the portal device.

At first, GlaDOS continued idly producing noises of contentment. Then, when she realized that Chell had stopped her caresses, she widened her optic and met her gaze with the woman's eyes, rapidly changing her aperture's sizes in urgency once she did so. Barely, Chell tilted her head to the side, shrugging her shoulders in a question:

_Why wouldn't you look at me before?_

The computer stared, Chell returned the sentiment. Gold and crystal, machine and human. Finally, the AI sighed, her normal, confident voice present and accounted for.

"Look. I have a bargain. It is not a fake one, by the way; it's legitimate, and quite frankly, would work quite well in your favor."

_A bargain? I've never known you to be the bargaining type, but I suppose this can't possibly be a lie, hm?_

Straightening her head, the test subject gave a nod, rolling her shoulders and listening attentively to what GlaDOS had to offer. The AI rolled right in to her tribute, speaking with the air of someone who couldn't care less if their words were taken seriously or indifferently.

"You, without fail, resurrect me as sole and unquestioned CEO of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. As an incentive to make certain you do just that..once I am returned to my mainframe and that idiot is taken care of, by-gones will be by-gones and I'll grant you what you desire."

GlaDOS paused, darkening both her 'eye' and her tone, producing a dramatic effect.

"Your freedom."

Stupor at the unexpected offer delayed Chell's reaction, but when she regained her senses she shook her head in a frantic agreement to the deal. If wasn't as if she had anything to lose either way; she had already agreed to restoring GlaDOS' position in her main chassis. In fact, this new bargain enhanced her fortunes, gave her a greater purpose to stride forward.

The door behind her may have been boarded shut, shunned from the world although it reminded on standby, but another door had just been opened for the woman. So it was, with a portal up to an altitude-favoring construction beam dangling just below the ceiling, that Chell took the knob and turned her wrist.

Squeezing through some bars on the platform, the test subject got a clear way to hop off the metal, landing in the dirt, dust rising around her boot. Having no more traces of laziness in her veins, Chell shot another portal onto the wall ahead of her, hobbling to it and stepping over its lower rim. She emerged on top of the construction beam, high above the room's floor.

"That is definitely a measurable height of around 700 feet."

The AI stared below, although she watched Chell once more as the woman slunk across the beam, carefully assuring that her boots' heel-springs didn't get caught or twisted in the criss-crossed pattern of metaling. Setting foot after foot, she winced at the pain swelling up in her left leg. Her current predicament required her to use both feet for balance purposes, and sadly that was causing a load of hell for her. The muscles were beginning to shriek, but just then, the test subject noticed a fallen wall panel lying face-up on the dreary flooring.

Coming to a stop, Chell leaned just slightly so she could examine the panel, removing a hand from the portal device and rubbing underneath her chin with it. Darting her gaze from the alcove, down to the panel, she mentally grinned, inhaling deeply and releasing that inhale in a content sigh. Taking a finger and aligning it with the center of the alcove, she then closed her eyes, moving her finger in an arc through the air. Once she'd reached the spot she wanted, Chell stopped her finger. In that same instant, she opened her eyes, raising her posture in satisfaction.

Her finger now pointed to a raised part of a jutted-out section of the wall, lifted at such an angle that is resembled a ramp. It also gave Chell a sense of Deja Vu from testing. The 'ramp' was at the right distance for her to use as a launch to get to the center of the alcove; that had been the purpose of tracing the distance with her finger.

_Flinging time, guys._

Checking on Nadine and finding her secure, then gently pressing down on the AI's form so she was wedged tighter on the ASHPD, Chell planted a blue portal on the angled panel, then immediately flunk herself off the beam and towards the ground.

The boots reacted, the left one pulling against the injured appendage to right it, earning a strained grunt from Chell. The right corresponded, and she regained her upright position again. She now plummeted from that considerable altitude, air rolling across her arms and playing with her ponytail. **This **was falling, thrills and delight at the simple prospect of breaking the structure of air.

Bare seconds before she collided with the ground, Chell shot the portal beneath her, and through it she went. Out of the blue portal she flew, launched purely by basic physics and momentum. Her path was a precise arc, the exact same one she had traced atop the construction beam earlier. The girl had it all down-pact.

GlaDOS, meanwhile, was emitting a shrill whine from inside her workings, optic wide and alarmed. Chell relished in that, chuckling lightly at the AI's ex pense. Tucking her chin into her chest, she avoided hitting her head on the top of the Aperture logo as she hurtled through it, flying free from the symbol of Science. Her arc came to its endpoint seconds later, and Chell gasped in fear at the sight of a wall directly in her plane of travel.

Hope wasn't enough to stop her from crashing into the wall with her face. However, she did manage to stick the landing with her good foot, rubbing her cheek in respite. She hadn't hit the thing too hard, but she was certain she was going to have a bruise there in a couple minutes. Well, at least she'd have something to show for taking that vertical concrete head-on.

GlaDOS openly sniggered, shaking the vegetable on its spike in delectation. Continuing to rub her cheek, Chell shook her head at the AI in vexation.

"You honestly should have seen that. Your expression was one of complete hilarity."

The woman formed a frown, smacking her hand back onto the barrel of the gun.

"Oh, don't believe me? Just look up, I'm sure there's an imprint of your face a couple feet above us."

She ended the sentence in a choke, unable to dam in her laughter as it coursed freely, destructing everything in its gleeful path.

"You could see for yourself!"

Blowing a puff of air in GlaDOS' aperture, Chell had to bite her tongue to keep herself from giving a giggle herself. Not from the attempted jokes, but instead from the **fun** the computer was having making them. If the scientists had wanted to make GlaDOS behave, they should have let her become a comedian. A thoroughly-deranged comedian, but Chell was sure that would only liven the show.

The puff of air didn't bother the computer at all, but she gradually stopped her sniggering, and turned her attention into mothering like a hen.

"You didn't break the portal device, did you? Further I mean, since you already destroyed its gravity beam. You **are** paying for that, by the way."

Of course, that attention wasn't directed towards Chell, but rather towards the beloved piece of technology that she harbored. In mockery of the AI's attentions, Chell donned a look of utter horror, then set to pressing her ear to the ASHPD as if she was listening for its heartbeat. She waited a few moments, keeping still under the computer's slitted stare from the end of the device. Then, she breathed a shaky sigh of relief and pulled away, nodding her head and winking at GlaDOS to boot.

_No worries, she's healthy as a horse!_

"I am not amused."

Chell quirked her eyebrow, cracking a sly grin.

_Really? I am._

The woman allowed the portal gun to rest in one hand, using the other to wipe the sweat off her brow. It was hot here, unlike the labyrinth's passages. Chell found it irritating. Couldn't everything be one constant temperature?

"That is disgusting. You humans have a sickening way to cool yourselves. Draining your body of water, the compound you need the most vitally? Somehow, the evolutionary curve must have taken a head-first dive along its course."

Groaning, Chell rubbed her hand against her pants leg, content when she could no longer feel the sticky substance coating her fingers. Spanning them apart, then folding them in again in a fist, the test subject considered GlaDOS' words. Evolutionary curb? That sounded rather scientific. She didn't know much about it. Not that it mattered, though.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chell spotted another automatic door. The glass on it was cracked in spiderwebs, shards of it dotting the floor. Calmly, she reached inside her pocket and removed Nadine, running her thumb along her back and watching the colors prance before setting her on her shoulder once more, warming on the inside when the bird stood in the dip of her shoulder instead of fidgeting all over.

Chell made her way to the automatic door, scoffing when it didn't as much as flinch in her presence. Stomping her left foot lightly upon the ground awarded no effect, either. The door must have broken. Luckily, the test subject still had the power of strength. After she'd wedged her fingers between the pair of doors it was easy work to pry them apart and slip through, the doors now stuck open as she passed them. She entered into a classy, sophisticated lobby, with fine light fixtures dangling from the ceiling, stained wood serving as the interior wall. None of it was warped or rotten, in fact, it shone as if it had been polished just recently.

The floor was a pristine and traditional 'dice' tile, alternating black and white squares paving the ground beneath her feet. It clicked as she walked, but soon she stepped onto a regal red carpet outlined in golden bordering, weaving in elaborate patterns in the fabric. The material was adept at softening her steps, as well as the noise walking incited. Although it was ragged on the edges, also faded and dusty, the red streak she continued to follow bestowed upon Chell a sense of dignity.

_**'There's a thousand tests performed every day here in our enrichment spheres. I can't personally oversee every one of them, so these prerecorded messages will cover any questions you might have, and respond to any incidents that may occur in the course of your science adventure.'**_

Chell jumped at the vainglorious voice, tightening both her grip on the ASHPD and the muscles within her legs, in preparation to dart. Nadine shrieked, flapping her single wing viciously in surprise. Realizing that it was another P.A. Announcement, she relaxed, eying the ceiling warily. Her bird relaxed too, nuzzling into the woman's neck and hiding her face while the announcement boomed on.

_**'Your test assignment will vary depending on the manner in which you have bent the world to your will.'**_

_What? I don't believe I-_

_**'Those of you helping us test the repulsion gel today, just follow the blue line on the floor. '**_

Sure enough, beginning just a foot or so in the middle of the red carpet was a painted blue line, leading ahead past crimson curtains and into what looked like a waiting lounge. Chell directed her look to it, following its path and at the same time taking in the rest of the loud man's message.

_**'Those of you who volunteered to be injected with praying mantis DNA, I've got some good news and some bad news.'**_

GlaDOS droned an inquisitive noise at this, blinking her optic several times as if she hadn't heard the broadcast correctly. The test subject tightened her grip inside the ASHPD's chamber ever so slightly, swallowing hard. Bad news would always overshadow the good news, why else would natural disasters make the headlines? She recalled sneaking through the maintenance areas of Aperture prior to GlaDOS' death, and finding ripped shreds of newspapers scattered along the floor of an old observation office.

Most of it was mismatched phrases that she could not make sense out of, but one had happened to be an article about a massive tornado that had raided a city, she couldn't remember the name, ripping roofs off houses and stealing life out of bodies. The title of the article had been in a solid, bold font, announcing its importance. Chell found it sickening that such a tragedy was flaunted on the front page of a paper people would read, mutter half-hearted condolences, then discard in the trash where it would be forgotten, buried. Her own humanity, energized by the lack of empathy and emotions in the Enrichment Center, had turned its back on the rest of her race. It had faced her race again when a particular British sphere had shown her concern for her well-being.

_**'Bad news is we're postponing those tests indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men. Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts.'**_

It honestly wasn't hard to conjure where those 'mantis men' came from. The woman might have been thick-headed, but she wasn't oblivious. Disgust boiled in her stomach. Confronted with the betrayal from Wheatley, and the lack of caring towards the individuals that were forced to become mutants, forced to defend their hopeless existence from what they once were, Chell felt herself turn away from the pathetic relatives of her kind once again.

However, despite the repulsion she felt, she found herself glancing about for the yellow line. It was no where to be seen. The P.A. Broadcast clicked, finished. Exhaling slowly, Chell started to carefully follow the blue line, walking directly on it as best as she could. She made it a point to examine everything in the room as she passed, so when she realized that there was an office filled with various machines and yellowed papers covering the desks, she quickly abandoned the line and staggered through the open archway, coming to see an outdated work setting during this time period.

Old filing cabinets stood proudly, dusty beyond belief and their labels worn and unreadable. With a case of nosiness, Chell tried every drawer, but finding them all locked she set to examining an old telephone upon one of the desks, fitting her fingers within the circles and turning them to input the numbers. Of course the phones weren't connected to a line of any sort, but considering the only other phone she'd remembered seeing was the red phone located in GlaDOS chamber, its line snapped precisely in two, she settled for simply putting the phone to her ear and finding the cord tight and taut.

Setting the telephone back on its stand, she turned her attention to the workers' working section of the office.

Machines that would have resembled computers had they possessed screens sat heavily upon sturdy desks. In place of the screen were sheets of paper held in place by a cylinder-like shape at the bottom, and underneath that was a series of keys, though they were circular and not square. Experimentally, she pressed her finger down on a 'C'. It depressed, but nothing happened aside from that.

_What a useless device. It can't even write a single letter?_

Scowling, Chell shook her head at the strange contraption, and pushed against the cylinder as a manner of aptitude. It slid to the side, and a cheerful chime rang out. Startled, but also intrigued, the test subject cautiously risked a glance at GlaDOS. She found her watching silently, waiting as Chell decoded the ancient technology.

There was a certain way Chell liked to skin cats, and that was by thorough repetition. So she shoved the cylinder again, eyes lighting up as she noticed something: every time she moved it, the paper shifted farther down. Where once the paper had rested evenly in its hold in the machine, now the edges laid on the desk top. Fascinated, she ran her fingers over the keys, hitting a few more yet yielding no results.

"That is a typewriter, the precursor to the computer. It lacks processing capabilities, but is able to type documents neater and more efficient than a human could by hand. That one you're playing with there is broken, though."

The AI broke off, a faint note of amusement in the word 'playing' making the end of her sentence considerably mellow. Understanding the purpose of the machine, the typewriter, Chell figured that if this typewriter was broken, why not try another one? There was an entire row of the things, at least six of them lined up in obedient symmetry.

Rather than troubleshoot with each and every one, Chell picked out the least-damaged machine, located as the third to last in the row. It was relatively dusty, but otherwise appeared clean and had no cracks on its shell unlike the others.

Stepping up to it, Chell noted a chair in front of it. Briefly wondering whether to sit or not, she chose to stand when her injured left gave a warning throb. She adjusted the cylinder until she heard the familiar chine, then laid her fingertips across the keys. Watching the paper silently, she once again pressed the 'C' key. There was a _**spack**_, and a faint C was printed onto the yellow surface.

_Hah, it works!_

Excitement leading her, the woman proceeded to hit each and every letter on the typewriter's keyboard until the entire lower half of the paper was covered in nonsense. Her bird had crept down her arm, and was now perched on one of the top corners of the machine, jerking its head rapidly from side to side as it curiously examined what she was writing. Not that Nadine could read, likely, but even if she could it would have just been a screwed-up version of the alphabet.

"Having fun, there?"

Casting her gaze to her other hand and seeing the computer, she nodded firmly, pressing another key for emphasis. GlaDOS did not seem impressed, with her optic unwavering in its movement and opacity. The woman turned her attention back to the typewriter, fully planning to resume her jigsaw collection of letters.

Partner number two groaned after seeing that she had lost her test subject's attention yet again. She resorted to using her excellent method of droning on and on until Chell was annoyed and decided she'd rather be focused on the machine instead of listening to her babble.

"You are hopelessly enthralled with useless objects. First that _Quiscalus quiscula_, and now that typewriter. Honestly, it appears as though you don't appreciate anything _I _do for you."

_Does that include attempting to murder me or lower my self esteem by insulting my weight?_

In irritation, the woman clicked the same key over and over, but never pressed it hard enough so that the typewriter pressed it to the paper. She grit her teeth, then against everything within herself, she made eye contact with GlaDOS, and nodded.

"You do? As if, you are only saying that because you want my silence. You're not getting it, Tooma."

While the computer continued to ramble, Chell felt exasperation rising, pressing against her thoughts. The need to get GlaDOS to **stop** was unbearable. So, she clicked five letters into the typewriter, swinging the ASHPD around and twisting it so that GlaDOS could see the faint word.

"Perhaps I would have even let you live with the deer. Perhaps I would have-"

The AI broke her sentence when she processed what Chell had written, and her optic notably widened. After a few seconds, the woman pulled the gun back, looking at GlaDOS quietly.

"You..know my name?"

A bit surprised at that question being asked and not another, such as 'You can WRITE?', Chell confirmed again, resting her eyes on what she had just typed.

GlaDOS

She'd even made sure to get the proper capitalization correct. The computer stared at the text a while longer before looking to Chell again, narrowing her optic in suspicion.

"How?"

_At least that got her to stop her babble._

Answering the AI, Chell typed a small sentence into the typewriter, pushing the cylinder to the opposite side when she reached the right.

**_Easy, can read the letters on you_**

Pausing, she added on to that.

_**Well, I could when you were in your mainframe**_

"Could you, now? Guess I'll have to give you credit for having the ability to decipher simple words. However, you probably pronounce everything incorrectly, mentally of course."

Sighing lightly, the test subject prepared to leave the old typing machine where it had sat for generations, keeping watch over an office that would never be filled with the harmonious sound of keys clicking ever again. However, before she would leave, she had to do one last thing first.

Typing in the letters slowly, deliberately, she typed in one last word.

_**Chell**_

At that GlaDOS narrowed her aperture into a tiny slit, buzzing angrily and veering her optic off to the side. She didn't offer a spoken response, and she didn't speak what the woman had written out loud. Chell supposed that the AI felt bitter that her test subject wasn't mindless after all, and had an opinion on what she wanted to be addressed as. No doubt her opinion would be ignored. She was satisfied, though: the computer had read her name and couldn't remove it from herself due to her lack of capabilities. It was the same as how a person could not totally forget something they'd recently learned or seen.

Setting her hand underneath Nadine, she waited until the bird had scrambled up her arm and was clinging to her shoulder before turning around and exiting the office, following the red carpet ahead in ominous silence. The wooden walls creaked, scolding her for taking so slowly to progress the research in this old Enrichment Center.

"For the record, that was our only instance of collaborative communication we've had yet."

Chell glanced to GlaDOS, realizing that indeed it was; she'd never spoken to the AI since she'd never had the ability, and she'd never had the chance to write something out for her, either. However, even if she had been given the opportunity prior to now, she wouldn't have given GlaDOS the satisfaction of a reply or conversation.

By talking to her via the typewriter just then, she had further transmitted to the computer that they now had a mutual trust, if it could be called that. Although that earned a twisting sense of caution, Chell allowed herself to believe in the trust; what did she have to lose?

The carpet led her through an old doorway, its pair of doors missing yet their hinges apparent, rusted and cracked from abuse. In the room beyond lay several soft chairs, clouds on legs. As she stepped through the doorway, the blue line streaked out of the waiting lobby to an outside area, in which the large building that GlaDOS had pointed out was an old elevator shaft. Smirking, Chell motioned the portal device in that direction, chuckling softly when the AI's optic brightened in response.

"Excellent! Despite the uneven odds, looks like we have reached the first step in overcoming this blasted obstacle provided courtesy of idiot."

_Another reference to Wheatley? _

Chell's emotions darkened, and she blew air rapidly through her teeth. The result was a simulated hiss, animal-like and threatening. GlaDOS narrowed her optic at the women, curving it to resemble a sinister half-moon.

"What? I wasn't referring to **you."**

Shaking her head, Chell wrote the word in the air, slowly so she would get the 'letters' as neat and precise as possible.

"Wheatley? Who or what is that?"

_She doesn't know? _

Creasing her eyebrows in frustration, the test subject mouthed the word 'idiot'. The AI's aperture narrowed even more, until it was hardly a golden speck in the general center of her optic.

"You mean the Intelligence-Dampening Sphere? That cannot be his **name**; personality cores were never given official alias aside from the name assigned depending on their intended purpose. Therefore, if the moron was given a 'name' of any sort, it would be IDS."

Her face fell, a look of pure confusion sprawled across her visage.

"That's what you knew him as though, I presume. Likely he bestowed that name upon himself for what ever reason that may be, perhaps to boost his ego considering he was nothing but a leech during his entire existence."

Hatred coated the computer's words, turning them icy and sharp to the touch. It was clear that GlaDOS despised the personality core, and she was reminded of the AI's insults to Wheatley before they were smashed into the center of the Earth.

_'The engineers tried everything to make me..behave...'_

_'Yes, you're the tumor.'_

_'You're not just a regular moron, you were **designed **to be a moron.'_

Only now did she recognize the grudge behind those phrases, the disgust and hideous enmity. Having Wheatley and her most defiant test subject coupled up against her had to have bred even more resentment. Although there was no doubt in her mind that GlaDOS held a certain dislike for her, she was smart enough to know that due to the valuable information she provided the computer with by testing, GlaDOS held her as a sort of possession, a token.

When she and the core had sprung their own twist, Chell suddenly realized that it only made her malevolence toward the Intelligence-Dampening Sphere grow like a fertilized weed; the personality core being such a despicable reminder of her own past having formed a bond with her best test subject likely had set her circuits on fire. Being shoved into a vegetable and banished to the bowels of the earth was just alcohol on an open wound.

The woman flitted her gaze to the bird on who shoulder, who peeped uncertainly. Sighing, Chell shrugged at GlaDOS, resuming walking again. She wasn't sure how to reply, really. Traitorous as he was, Chell refused to connect IDS to the personality construct instead of Wheatley. It was diplomatic to address an unstable being with a civil title, not an acronym. For calling Wheatley 'IDS' would be as if she was only looking at his function, not at the bubbly personality underneath.

Of course, that didn't stop GlaDOS from labeling her with such with the name 'Tooma'. A thought abruptly struck her: GlaDOS was an acronym, wasn't it?

_Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System..._

That meant that she had always been addressed as **what** she was, not **who** she was. However, although GlaDOS had to have known that her 'name' was an acronym and what that thus implied, she hadn't seemed to think of it as anything less than her official name.

**'You know my name?'**

Chell could remember back to the moment in the office, where the AI had been astonished at the test subject's ability to connect the computer to her bestowed appellation. GlaDOS didn't recognize it as a series of letters attaching her to a purpose; she was far too prideful for that. No, she'd turned those letters describing a 'what' into letters describing a 'who'. The scientists just hadn't understood that they weren't dealing with a normal desktop computer; they were dealing with the most massive collective of knowledge that had ever existed. Chell, a normal test subject, was able to see through the haze of basic belief to reality, but the greatest minds in Aperture had not had that fortune. That was why they met their downfall.

"Hold on a second."

Coming to a halt of both movement and thought, the woman looked to GlaDOS, saw that her own gaze was focused off the side, and turned her attention there as well. What she saw were two huge display cabinets, with charming wood polished so brilliantly it shone like glass.

Speaking of glass, the foremost had its glass display completely shattered, and it lacked a single content. Its partner, though, held trophies, certificates, newspapers, the whole deal. Stepping up to the cabinet, Chell rested a hand on the glass. Her breath fogging it, she peered into the display to see the contents. There was a trophy for best new Science organization, a trophy for the second best Science organization in general, and quite ironically several trophies having to due with certain advances in potato science.

"How fitting that Aperture Science would win such fulfilling honors. Not that it's any surprise."

The certificates also award Aperture for its startling progressions, each flaunting their worthiness with their golden seals and fancy signatures of important individuals Chell had never known. In the newspaper, the front story told of a man who had opened an innovating research center in an old salt mine in Michigan. The man's name was Cave Johnson.

_Where's Michigan?_

Staring at the article blankly, the test subject dug in her brain to try and determine where she was located. She finally had a location, but didn't know the location of the location: it was just about a paradox. Finally though, she dismissed it, shaking her head and practically sliding back onto the red carpet, putting a foot ahead as she set forward again.

Giving a last look into the lobby, she still saw no sign of the fabled yellow line that lead to the army of tragically manipulated men turned into pests meant to be fought and killed for sport. However, a rack of planked wooden shelves nailed onto a wide section of wall in the middle of the waiting room earned her slitted glare, suspicion slowing her pace before she caught herself, and reluctantly turned her back completely and exited the lobby.

"Thank god. It was horribly dusty in there, you would not believe how many particles can simply sink into this potato's skin. Terribly unsanitary."

She emerged on a catwalk the was originally supposed to lead over to the elevator shaft, but it had been snapped in two; the other half lay crooked on the base of the shaft. A good leap would land Chell herself on the base though. Bad news though? It was going to require momentum to get her all the way there. Chell bit her lip, easing backward in preparation for a running dash precursor to her jump. How she was going to manage a well-paced run was beyond her, though.

GlaDOS peered up at her curiously, darting her optic from her to the base, then realizing what she intended to do, fired off a metallic whine as a warning. The woman paid her no heed, though. Against her better judgment she applied full weight to her left leg, dropping into a sprinters crouch and pushing against her muscles to propel forward. Her body lurched forward in a full-scale run.

It seemed that the immediate use of the leg had left it numb at first, but once she reached the end of the catwalk it squeezed in on itself, and Chell felt utter agony as she hurtled over the acidic water below and stuck a landing with a single wobbly boot on the rickety base of the elevator shaft. She stumbled to the shaft and leaned heavily upon it, panting heavily and wincing. Her wounded leg spasmed of its own accord, hopelessly hopeless in its usefulness. The AI, meanwhile, was examining the human in rapid glances to everywhere on her person, clicking angrily with each glance.

"Is the idiocy from that moron contagious hundreds of miles underneath the Enrichment Center? You were informed not to even put **weight** on it, yet here you are training for a marathon on a potentially broken appendage?"

Unable to reply, Chell just wheezed uncomfortably, attempting to pull her leg up to hopefully give it some relief. It just sat unresponsive though, and she was forced to let it sit her foot rest awkwardly on its side. Nadine chirped reassuringly in her ear, standing still as if she could sense the lack of need for any promoted stress on the woman. GlaDOS scolded her with no mercy, implying that she had a potential death wish for that particular appendage before the day was gone.

Giving a shake of the head, Chell denied that, and pushed herself off the shaft with the strength of her back alone, staggering with a mild and inaudible whine. A brilliant yellow light lofted out of the entrance to the elevator, inviting her in with with warmth and radiance.

Turning around the corner, she slipped inside, using the heavy steel bars acting as the gate for the lift to assist herself inside. Once there she rested her head against the wall, gasping when her head sunk farther backward and the bars suddenly slammed shut, the elevator rising in its ascent. She slunk to the side, staring upward with a risen breath.

_A button?_

The test subject gave a inner groan, hating the severe paranoia and irritation flooding through her veins. She allowed her head to hit the back of the elevator again, clicking her tongue in reply to Nadine's chirrups. There was a bold, black arrow printed on the red circular button, pointing up. Directly beside said button was a sign that warned 'Please wait for attendant'. Obviously there would be no attendant, though. Her back of her head had served the purpose just fine.

"Would you look at this, the lift still functions half-way decently."

Their ride suddenly gave a jerk side to side, shaking Chell nearly off-balance. She gripped the bars in front of them with a single hand, glaring at GlaDOS once they'd stopped wobbling. Defiantly the computer lit her optic full force and spanned it out completely, meeting the woman's glare with a glower of her own.

Raising her eyebrows, the test subject released her grip on the bars, lowering her eyes to express serenity and innocence. GlaDOS' reaction to this was to snigger, not wavering in her own look. Smirking devilishly on the inside, Chell took her fingers and danced them along the ASHPD, nearing the operational end of the device and thus, where GlaDOS was skewered. Not one of naivety, the AI carefully aligned her sight so that the girl was in her center of vision, but also to where she could watch her fingers in her peripheral.

It was when Chell was almost at the spikes of the gun that she dropped all but two fingers, and set to walking them in a catwalk agonizingly slowly towards the vegetable, nails clicking like high-heels. Inching along the 'runway', they finally arrived at the portal device's spike accommodating the Queen. There they tapped on the plastic a couple times, thoughtfully deciding.

"You know, fingers don't have the figures associated with supermodels, sorry to inform you. They also have no business being so close to **me**, so back off. Immediately."

Chell gripped the spike, sliding her hand up it until she only had to stretch her pointer finger out an inch to touch GlaDOS. The computer in question had her optic narrowed and was buzzing angrily, becoming increasingly aggressive as the test subject's hand neared her. Hovering above the AI, Chell's fingertips floated teasingly above her, just about touching but not quite.

"Don't you **dare**."

The computer hissed, aperture blinking rapidly in warning, a rattle of a serpent. Feeling conflicted, the woman hesitantly brushed the side of the casing of her machine partner, earning a quiet murmur of approval from deep within the potato. GlaDOS fought that, however, overriding the pleased noise with a threatening growl. Chuckling, shooting her bird a devious grin, Chell began stroking the side of GlaDOS' aperture, to the vast dismay of the stroke-ee.

"Stop this this instant, I command you to stooooooo..prrrr.."

GlaDOS accidentally allowed a 'purr' to invade her audio speakers, the sound no longer limited to the muffled inner mechanisms of her. When she realized what she'd done, her aperture widened and she set to shut off her vocalizations, however, she let out a placid sigh when Chell circled her entire optic in a paced rhythm.

"Okay, that's enough. Cease."

Her tone suddenly had a desperate undertone, and her optic was curved into a pleading semi-circle. Shaking her head, Chell just continued to spitefully pet her nemesis, amused by how little it took to reduce her to a purring 'dandelion'; it had taken even less than back in the welcome area.

Apparently, GlaDOS could feel sensations when trapped in this form. Likely she could even feel _pain_, even more dynamically than before. The test subject found that forcing her to feel a clear felicity was a far greater advancement as far as revenge went, though.

"_Tooma_..please just..stop. _Please_."

Her voice was a whisper of a whisper, and her optic was closed, the contest of who had the bitterest glare forgotten. With each stroke of Chell's she shook miserably, processors betraying her as they rumbled happily. As for GlaDOS herself, however, she seemed the exact opposite: miserable. In recognition of that,the test subject stopped, lowering her hand away from the potato and back onto the grip of the gun. The sigh of relief was alarmingly happier than the sighs of content the AI had unwillingly let out during the caress session.

* * *

><p>It would take two more minutes for the elevator to jar to a stop, and then five additional minutes of Chell portaling over to an isolated section housing chilling experiments and listening to each and every one of them being narrated by the same man they'd heard in the welcoming area of this old Aperture Science, before GlaDOS would peel her optic open. Even then she refused to look at the test subject, staring at the speakers relaying the final experiment of the last vitrified chamber.<p>

_**Just a heads up, we're gonna have a super-conductor turned up full-blast and pointed at you for the duration of this next test.**_

GlaDOS' aperture faded in and out as she listened silently, and Chell's heart sank.

_**I'll be honest, we're throwing Science at the wall to see what sticks, no idea what it'll do- Probably nothing! Best case scenario, you might get some super powers. Worst case some tumors, which we'll cut out.**_

GlaDOS didn't as much as offer a snort, closing her optic again and shutting off her feed of her surroundings. Shooting her bird an incredulous look, Nadine responded with a ruffling of her feathers, an avian shrug. Admittedly curious, Chell gradually backed away from the door, procrastinating by fiddling with her injured leg, bouncing it gently on the metal. It screamed in agony, her earlier blunder having weakened its resolve. So eventually she stepped back through her portal, emerging on the catwalk of the elevator shaft.

She had discovered that all catwalks leading to any doors were broken; she was stuck. Thus, she determined that perhaps the elevator went up higher and all she had to do was press that red button again. Her surprise left her mouth agape when she made it over to where the elevator had rested previously. It had already left her, for all she was awarded with now was a view of the 60 foot drop to the floor of the shaft.

Leaning in to the hollow shaft and twisting her neck, she could see the platform of the bottom of the elevator above. Coincidentally, there was no 'down' button to call it back to her. With a frown, she backed out, cocking her head at a sign pasted directly in front of her.

'Do not fall down elevator shaft.'

Figurative light bulbs came crashing down on her skull, sparking an idea in her brain. Hurriedly, she shuffled back to the edge of the shaft's catwalk, to where she could see the lone trio of doors standing far away. The roof of the building which they were implanted in was slanted. It was also a portal surface.

Firing a portal onto that slanted roof and then walking carefully back to the elevator, she perched on the edge of the walk, toying with fate. Inhaling deeply after she'd shot the second portal on the floor of the shaft, Chell made sure to safely deposit Nadine back inside her jumpsuit before letting herself fall. It caused GlaDOS to snap her optic open, and to give a startled gasp when they were propelled through the air.

They landed on a section of catwalk that led to another door, 'Alpha' written above it on the background of blue paint. Checking to make sure that the computer was alright, Chell froze when she heard a loud crack. Peering out of the corner of her eye, she saw the catwalk begin to collapse, already starting a nosedive into the acid water below. Whines and bellows echoed in the mass expanse, inciting panic and fear. Urgency filled her, and she scrambled for the door, shoving it open and throwing herself into the room just when she felt the last piece of metal flooring fall away from her boot.

Grasping onto the edges of the door, she winced as she watched the walk fall away, and land with a painful sizzle into the liquid beneath. Chell stepped backwards, allowing the door to slip from her grip and slam shut with a loud _click_. Catching her breath with several heaving sighs of relief, she leaned on the door and laid her forehead on the cool metal, closing her eyes and letting it all fade for just a little while.

"Are you alright?"

Snapping her eyes open and shooting the speaker an accusing stare, the woman forgot that the only speaking companion she had was GlaDOS. At Chell's warning look the computer shrunk her aperture and fixated it on the floor again, lowering the sounds of her inner workings. Almost instantly Chell straightened her expression, donning a face of apology.

_Oh no, I didn't mean- it's just that I.._

Palming the bridge of her nose, Chell slid her hand down her face, stopping it at her chin where let it stay and support. Examining the computer closely, she wet her lips, then blew air out through her teeth. The low whistle generated a flinch from GlaDOS, but she still didn't look at her test subject. So it was with a gentle pat to the gun that she fired off the well-known and commonplace recitation of a musical scale with her whistling, smiling when the AI finally set her optic with her own eyes at the last note.

She didn't say anything, but her yellow orb was formed in an inquiring circle set to the side. Flinching, Chell put a hand over her chest, lowering her eyes and letting her face fall. She tucked her chin closer in to her neck, slowly placing her hand back onto the ASHPD and offering the AI a small nod. GlaDOS widened her optic to its normal size, lighting it to a respectful intensity. Chell's message had been heard even if she had no voice to speak it with.

_I'm sorry._

Lighting up her own silver eyes, Chell held the gun closer to herself, playfully blowing a puff of air in GlaDOS' direction, innerly smiling when the computer rolled her optic in exaggerated annoyance. Blinking, the test subject removed Nadine from her pocket, pulling her up to her face to bestow a kiss on the bird's beak. At the contact the bird suddenly squawked, flapping her good wing and clambering to Chell's shoulder where she sat stubbornly, though she did nuzzle against her partner's neck a few times.

Smoothing the roughed-up feathers of her neck, the woman turned around, halting with her fingers still touching Nadine's quills. A massive collection of intertwining pipes lay central in this room, whistling and bellowing as their contents gushed inside them and followed their maze. The pipes didn't as much as groan despite the conditions and their own age; there wasn't a single leak or loose bolt. She let her fingers glide off the bird, and her arm fell to her side.

_They've been built to last, that much is rather clear._

Stretching upward, they connected to a giant port on the top of the ceiling, monitored by systems containing blinking lights and screens on each pipe's surface that flashed that pipes' status. It had been constructed so that employees could read the interface from the bottom floor, so Chell could read them as well. Each screen was labeled with REPGL, followed by a random word, possibly a code name. The thickest pipe which connected directly to the center of the port had the label REPGL-CHIONIS, and amongst the three others feeding into the port were REPGL-CYNISCA, REPGL-MILO, and REPGL-HYDNA.

After observing the collaborating, yet silent, group of four for a number of minutes, the woman found herself restless. Spotting another control area to her left, she staggered in the direction, leaning her side against the wall to use as reinforcement for her marred self. Her skin of her arms rubbed uncomfortably against it without the protection of her jumpsuit's sleeves, the effect being an angry chafe from the concrete.

Abruptly her shoulder coaxed across something much more slick and welcoming, almost like gel-like. It was a poster, warning about various types of allergens. It had the drab, every-day allergy-inciting criminals, but of course it had to include something scientific as well. Antimatter, as a _matter_ of fact.

Amused, she faked a sneeze, sniggering quietly when she caught GlaDOS' 'ugh' of disgust.

_Looks like things are back to normal. Rather, as 'normal' as they can get in this atomic Utopia. _

Reaching the entrance, she gripped the frame of the door, pushing against it so she eased into the control room. She was confronted with technology with such age, but also such advancement that she was tentative to invade its domain. They were as tall as file cabinets, with the face of sophisticated complication. However, a flash of gold darting around the room reminded her that she'd already conquered much greater obstacles, _twice_.

Straightening herself, she limped up to one of the machines, bending slightly so she was level with one of its gauges. It was positioned in the direct middle of a scale from 0-158, the red needle still and resolute. Tapping its glass cover had no effect, and adjusting the dials covering the machine had no effect aside from the clicking they made as they were turned.

_Highly impressive indeed. Although I guess it **is** hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Might as well leave it be._

Walking away from the dead technology, Chell instead approached a lever, very similar to the others she'd seen in Aperture Science Innovator locations. Placing the ASHPD in its holster despite her knowledge of GlaDOS' disapproval, and then each of her hands on either side of the contraption housing it, she relieved her leg the burden of weight and pressure. The device housing the lever was marked with dials like the previous machines as well, and a gauge set at "0". The difference though was that this machine was marked with a blue sticker that said: Gel Pressure.

The lever had a blue grip wrapped around it to match, and a diagram above it helpfully identified what it was. According to the diagram, the lever was a on switch for Pump Station Alpha, which was planted underneath the surface. The pump station contained a blue substance, which was transported via more tubes to six spheres. In fact, they were the spheres Chell had seen before out on the catwalks, both suspended in the air and submerged in water!

_Enrichment Spheres._

Hit with their true name, and also their true purpose, the test subject swallowed, working her sweaty palms away from the lever. Carefully setting her leg down, she attempted to back up, desiring distance from this cursed switch. At the second step her knee suddenly caved, and she shot herself forward to grab onto the sides of the lever's box, effectively stopping her fall.

_This is horribly humiliating. _

Pushing herself up on her elbows, she froze when she heard faint beeps coming from underneath herself. The gauge, once set at a harmless zero, now shot up to the maximum setting, its needle quivering at the sheer effort. Every single light on the machines behind her lit up in unison, and the one which Chell had fiddled with on her entrance squealed in ire as it was forced to work with all its dials set on high. Alarmed, she shot her eyes to right underneath herself. The on lever was pushed all the way forward, and its activity light was green.

The quadruplet set of REPGL pipes groaned into life, the echo of their contents streaming into the control office. At the sounds Nadine has shrieked in fear, hiding on the back of Chell's neck in the safety of the hair of her ponytail. Even GlaDOS was rattled, her aperture vibrating and bungling this way and that.

The whole scene had the resemblance to a street riot, everyone hurrying and running into one another in a scramble. Finally getting a grip again, Chell shoved herself away from the Gel Pressure Control switch and instead faced towards the pipes from another gate, one that led onto a catwalk that circled the pipes then moved upwards, another stairwell. The way to this catwalk was blocked by a construction gate, and as it began to shake the woman pleaded to whatever almighty power existed, that it would not open.

Her plea went unheard, and the gate creaked ajar, locking itself into an open position so it could not be shut. The catwalk was accessible to her now. Giving a dull laugh, the test subject slowly stepped on and began across the catwalk, the clicking of her boots eerily loud even with the reactivation of the pump station.

Of course, she knew what she had done. She'd done the exact opposite of what she had wanted to do, redone what she had never wanted to do in the first place. It was an accident, an ironic accident that had only occurred out of her weakened state. Perhaps if she hadn't been using the device as a support she wouldn't have fallen on it. Maybe it she'd let herself fall onto the floor instead, she'd been alright. The possibility that she could have just ignored every object in each room didn't escape her. But the cold hard reality was this: she'd re-established the supply from this pump station to the Enrichment Spheres. By doing so, they would be restored into activity as well, in order to accommodate the contents.

Chell wasn't stupid or naive, but that this point, she really wished she could be. For then she would not know that she had just sprung an evil twist of fate on herself all over again. The announcer of this old Enrichment Center probably would've been laughing at her misfortune, just as the potato wedged onto the gun near her hip had always done.

In her attempt to find an escape, Chell had just thrown herself back into the plight she had fought through time and time again, the scars on her body telling the tale. Testing.


	6. Burgeon

~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~

As soon as her body was out of the doorway, she was affronted with the full potency of the brash sounds: a workstation designed with only maximum productivity in mind, nothing less and if it was possible then that maximum productivity was to be pressed and increased. The gel inside the large-scale pipes sloshed and splashed inside its containers, discordant in the screeching whistles their holders let loose as the contents sped up and along their course. Faint sirens wailed regularly, their cries far away yet unfaltering. Chell kept her gaze affixed to the tangle of transport pipes while she continued ahead, able to feel the distinct uncomfortable sensation that she associated with her left leg. She'd hurt it yet again, when she stumbled and had to grapple onto the lever's holding box, not long at all after she'd awoken the pain prior to entering the elevator shaft. Now she was paying the inflated price; she was limping again.

Limping meant an off-put balance, and frequently she was using the rails of the catwalk to prop herself upright, and keep herself from falling. She was having to use her left arm to actually grab the rails to ensure total stability, and although she technically **could** man the portal device with a single hand, she didn't want to gamble that. She'd already lost a considerable amount so far. Thus, the ASHPD remained in its make-shift holster, the potato skewered onto it angled in such a way that she was as far from the test subject's body as possible. Chell had made sure of that, if only as a bribe to coax GlaDOS out of her guarded state back into the cunning machine she was. Unfortunately, with every limp her hip bumped against the ASHPD, causing it to jerk and rattle about. Doubting that the AI enjoyed that very much considering the fact that it was jostling Nadine around and earning irritated complaints, Chell tried to lessen her use of her inflicted appendage, resorting to pushing herself off the ground using her hand on the rail and then coming down on her healthy leg. It resembled a hobble mixed with a hop, and frankly she was sure it looked as ridiculous as she thought it to be.

"You know, that looks incredibly strenuous on your arm; lifting up your entire body weight with nothing more than a ninth of said body weight?"

Coming to a halt out of mild surprise and also major relief that GlaDOS was talking to her again, and allowing her arm to go slack and instead bend so it was propped against the rail, Chell twisted so she could get a view of GlaDOS, moving her right leg forward for a better look. When her eyes met the AI's optic she saw the aperture light up minorly, then dull back to its usual state in the next second. Dropping the arm on the same side of that leg down to the gun, she touched the gun's surface softly. At the contact the computer spun her aperture in a full circle, expanding it as she did. Eventually it reached its full size, but then GlaDOS shrunk it again, and proceeded to spin and expand it over and over. This became a cycle which she seemed to adore repeating. Chell scrunched her features in confusion.

_What..are you doing?_

"Curious, yes?"

Hesitating, feeling the discouragement from the previous occurrences weighing down mostly anything other than indifference and dread, the test subject contemplated ignoring her partner and advancing towards her impending fate. However, recalling what all the little potato had been through as well, she decided that she deserved better than that. So it was with a faked grin that she cocked her head to the side, blinking wide-eyed for emphasis. The AI let out a 'hmmm' at that, making her own decision. It was probably just for effect though; GlaDOS always had a reply for a scenario planned. Sure enough, the computer replied after her brief pondering.

"Very well. I am demonstrating the proper procedure for constructing the geometric shape known as a circle. Not an oval, Tooma. A **circle**. You are quite aware of what a circle is?"

Chell nodded, raising her hand off the gun and tracing a circle in the air. It was basic knowledge, and that was what the test subject possessed, along with the addition of testing elements, procedures, and tactics. She realized soon there after that the question she'd just been asked was rhetorical, and that GlaDOS was giving her an amused look after the subject had answered. Laughing softly through her nose, she motioned to her with a wave of her hand, placing said hand on her hip when the AI continued.

"Correct indeed, I am oh so proud of you. Anyways, a circle is 360 degrees; it goes on endlessly, eternally. You're stuck in a circle, aren't you?"

Noticeably jumping at the unexpected delve into herself, Chell shifted her left arm uneasily, attempting to disguise that unease as an adjustment of posture. Her guise was seen right through, transparent like a thin sheet of plastic wrapped over a window. GlaDOS flashed her optic several times in a couple of seconds, the result being a dizzied Chell. She clutched at her head, groaning quietly as she shut her eyes at the annoying feeling in her head, likely a beginning headache.

"Answer the question."

Gritting her teeth together, tightening her jaw, the woman felt stress starting to take its hold in her brain again, fertilized by the unusual reluctance she had to answer the computer. It wasn't **fair**. How had she read her like that? She hadn't outwardly shown any signs of fear or exasperation towards testing; she was far too prideful for that, yet GlaDOS was able to see inside her and invade her personal insecurities while stuck in the form of a _potato_? Undeniable rage at essentially being a book off the shelf allowed her to refuse to answer the AI, who sat on the end of the ASHPD watching, waiting. It was just intolerable. With a burning fury hiding behind blue eyes, Chell looked at the AI. GlaDOS lowered the intensity of her optic, but kept it in that expanded circle that Chell now knew that she'd been using as some sort of symbolism. The test subject found herself detesting both symbolism and circles.

"I'm not stupid. I know that being trapped in a never-ending cycle can wreck havoc on someone's mind. I was trapped in that black-box cycle, which now that I think about it, should have been called the black-circle cycle. But you know what? Damage is only done to those who are weak and don't have the ability to overcome. I'll tell you something right here and you better put each word to memory."

Stunned at the demand, and also the sudden mention of the computer's death without an attempted guilt-trip, the test subject nodded a third time, her agreements with the AI getting more and more common. It was a reminder that they **were** partners, that they were going to work together and get out of this; the promises were going to be kept. However, not before GlaDOS finished encrypting those desired words into her test subject's head.

"You are not weak."

She spoke firmly, her optic shrinking back to its normal size and lighting to a blazing gold after her sentence had been heard. Calm and warmth spread through Chell's body at those four words, serenity flowing through her veins to her heart and slowing it from its stressed pace back to a relaxed speed. Likewise, the rest of her body responded, quenching the fire which had been ignited by the paroxysm of anxiety with the cool liquid of reassurance. Adjusting her arm, she shoved herself off the rail, towards the center of the catwalk. She swayed viciously, but she determinedly kept her balance, planting her left foot softly upon the metal. It stung, bitterly so, but she left it there, biting down on her lip as she let the pain gradually ebb to a tolerable percentage. GlaDOS' aperture widened in surprise, but then returned to normal, perhaps glowing perhaps a bit brighter. Taking a couple steps forward, Chell regained minimal use of that left leg, though she resorted to a hop when pain began streaking in her thigh. At the end of the catwalk, before a set of three stairs, the woman directed her gaze to GlaDOS again, her eyes filled with gratitude and her half-grin one of appreciation.

_Thanks, Dandelion. You're not too weak either. You are just moody and occasionally homicidal. _

The computer's reaction was to act as if she hadn't seen the flickers of emotions normally suppressed in the test subject, and instead glower at the offending individual on Chell's shoulder. Her aperture buzzed as she zoomed in on the bird, who in turn fluffed up her feathers in a menacing puffball. The neon green blotches on her back lit up in a burst, more so threatening than pretty when Nadine was tense and upset. Glancing to her shoulder, Chell whistled to Nadine, trying to catch her attention. Her avian turned to face her, cooing apologetically before glaring at GlaDOS once more, her own golden beads that she called her eyes fastened to the potato's form. At that, the AI chuckled darkly, narrowing her own optic in return. Chell meanwhile, groaned at the downright pointlessness of this situation.

"At the risk of stating the extreme obvious, I will now inform you, bird, that unless you have plans of being an entree', your best bet would be to relocate to a location farther away from my test subject's mouth."

When GlaDOS' optic curved into a joyous crescent at her successful insult to the bird, Chell raised an eyebrow, looking to Nadine who was 'growling', still all fluffed up and agitated. It truly wasn't fair that she was the one getting broadsided with the computer's attitude. Gently she cupped the animal's head, rubbing her thumb along Nadine's neck. Her bird didn't calm down or even react, just bore her gaze into her human's second partner. The two didn't like each other, point taken.

"After all, we all know that Tooma would eat anything you put in front of her. That's why, despite the odds, her weight prevails as the scale-breaking champion."

Chell's mouth dropped open, though she caught herself and snapped her jaw closed before any insects invaded the interior of it. The unexpected return on the shallow insults to the woman's figure had her blinking rapidly as she was caught unprepared. Soon though she recovered, and was struck by a certain sort of a specific particular scheme. She liked the blueprints of that plan rather well indeed.

_Oh you sneaky, devious little root vegetable._

Two could play at this game. Suddenly grabbing at her stomach, Chell released a mock wail, stumbling to the right and ending up leaning on that side's rail with her arm. She hunched over partially, whining in the back of her throat. Obviously alarmed, GlaDOS was furiously glancing over the woman for any sort of injuries, hissing that she needed to move her hand in order for her to examine her stomach for lethal injections of certain toxins, neurotoxin for instance. Chell didn't move her hand, instead she gripped onto her jumpsuit undershirt tighter and squeezed her eyes shut in staged suffering. Further, she started panting, harsh and haggard breaths that had Nadine in a nuzzling frenzy as she attempted to comfort Chell. Unable to physically signal her bird that she was perfectly fine, she mentally apologized, vowing to make it up to Nadine later. For now, she played it up, exaggerating the condition of her hunger with various dramatizations.

"What is **wrong** with you? Stop that, it's unnerving."

GlaDOS attempted to brush off her own panic by passing it as perturbation towards the human's strange behavior all of a sudden, but Chell could hear that indistinct rise of pitch that the AI always had in her voice when she was nervous or threatened. Taking the chance, the test subject raised herself up and staggered away from the rail, whining pathetically as she did so. Her bird gave cries of worry, only intensifying the AI's own afflicted concern. Chell then jostled the ASHPD out of its make-shift holster, lifting it to her eye level and widening her eyes in a desperate beg at the Intelligence attached to it.

"_Tooma_, what is happening to you? Did you puncture your stomach after on of the proceeding falls, and the recent events have worsened the condition and made it noticeable? **Move so I can see your stomach, you idiot**."

Even now, Chell had tilted herself in such a way that a clear view of her stomach was not possible due to the shadows. But in answer to GlaDOS she shook her head rapidly, moaning as she brought the portal device closer still. Breathing low, onto the gun rather than puffing all over GlaDOS, she stared silently at the vegetable, relenting on her mock actions. Tilting her head as she eyed the potato, Chell had to fight to keep her current facade. She succeeded though, and moved on to the next act of sniffing the air like a dog. The AI was watching her with a morbid sense of bewilderment, also silent and frankly aghast. Making sure GlaDOS was focused in on her, Chell ran her tongue along her lips as if she'd discovered something delicious.

_I'm just so **hungry**..you all know that I could eat **anything** you put in front of me_."

Crafting a sly smirk, the woman fixed her eyes in a knowing gaze at the potato, watching in a growing glee how her optic widened in horror. Chell sniggered inaudibly, contorting her expression into one of mass desire. Having spooked the Goddess of Aperture was going on her list of prized achievements. It was just better considering it was off an insult of the computer's. The computer groaned, lessening the width of her aperture to its usual size and giving her test subject an accusing glare. Rumbling and clicking within herself, she dropped not-so-subtle hints that she was indeed not **just** a potato, and also hints that showed that she knew exactly what the girl was thinking. So it was that Chell cocked her head to the side and squinted, scrutinizing GlaDOS with hungry eyes. In compliance, the computer rolled her optic, groaning in self-suffering.

"Oh, haha! Hilarious. You couldn't eat me if you wanted to. You'd likely choke on all the almighty components of my hardware."

She turned her aperture to the side, chuckling to herself.

"Besides, you'd get a nasty jolt of electricity to the tongue. Somehow I doubt you'd like that."

With a scowl, Chell morphed her stare into an angry glower, withering and piercing. GlaDOS returned it, aperture shrinking, spanning down to the bottom of her optic. They kept that up for half a minute before Chell snorted, looking away with her head towards the pipes so the AI wouldn't see her laughing. However, her mirthful chuckles gave her away, and GlaDOS shook her optic in supreme pity, moaning in remorse for her rapidly-diminishing sanity resulting from being within 500 feet of the test subject's childish antics. Firing a huff at that, Chell swung the gun until it was vertical then smacked it into her other hand so it was in its normal grip of two hands, raising an eyebrow and rotating the ASHPD slightly. She shook her own head, continuing her slowed walk forward. Relying on the rails was a thing of the past; no matter how much it hurt, the test subject pushed herself to stick to the center of the catwalk. Nadine hopped from foot to foot in excitement, chirping happily in her human's ear as she found out that Chell was, in fact, not suffering from a mysterious and fatal injury and was progressing in their adventure again. The bird did quirk her head at GlaDOS in questioning, jerking her head from the computer to the woman in quick flicks.

"Don't ask. It's a side-effect of being a maniac. May God help us all."

Nadine grumbled in disagreement, stretching her neck up to nuzzle the side of Chell's cheekbone. Turning her head to get closer to her bird, Chell acknowledged the nuzzle, gently offering a nuzzle of her own as she rubbed her cheek against Nadine's side, minding her smaller size and fragile frame. Delightfully chirping in cheerfulness, Nadine nuzzled her cheek even harder, the fluff of her feathers from the earlier dilemma finally settling down. The night canvased on the animal overtook the invader green, taking its earned place with a soft rustling of plumage. Their shared affection, although not a great hindrance to their pace, did not go unnoticed by a certain AI. It also didn't go without a reprimand. A pompous yellow light peeking underneath her eyelids had Chell cracking her eyes open, crystal turned a lazy baby blue due to her forged amity with her Nadine. GlaDOS' blaring that optic full-force into her pupils eliminated that color as the woman gasped, squeezing her eyes shut but then snapping them open in a undignified frown, the baby blue replaced by the traditional, trademark silver. Having Chell's attention on her, GlaDOS lowered the intensity of her optic, rolling it towards a set of stairs at the very end of the catwalk.

"Come on, you're almost there. Get a move on."

_Honestly, if I had a death-wish I'd probably have to say that GlaDOS is, what is called, jealous._

Holding back her taunting impulses out of respect of their limited schedule, the woman reached out to pat Nadine once more, on her beak. Then she was walking again, blinking forcefully to rid her vision of the red blots splotching her visual perception. Skirting around, avoiding their demise, the miniature red suns twirled about, a distraction which was not welcome. She shook her head, growling under her breath when she swayed because of it. Instead of being sorry for obscuring her test subject's vision, GlaDOS was quite pleased, obvious by her humming processors and the alert way which she scanned their path ahead. Irked but not about to ruin her reestablished relationship with the computer, Chell made it to the end of the catwalk, where a small series of steps led up to another small walk. Although she was bitter towards the discomfort stairs brought her, the woman admitted that she considered them more preferable and reasonable than elevators. The reason behind her logic wasn't too hard to understand.

As she turned away from the dead end and set her good foot on the first stair, she pondered whether or not she'd lived someplace with an abundance of stairs before her plunders at Aperture. Maybe she'd lived in a two-story house with mahogany doors, silk curtains adorning the house's windows. She would've lived in a brick one, she mused as she carefully pulled herself up onto the step completely with a wince, because for some reason she kept thinking that if it was made of anything else, the wind would knock it down. Her lawn would have been large, the grass short. She liked to think that there would be loose flowers and weeds peeking in from between the blades. Trees: she grew excited just thinking about them. Tall oaks that loomed above, tickling the sky, offering their shade to those below. Animals came and took care of the peskier plants, deer and rabbits and bluebirds leisurely patrolling amongst the green. Later she would join them, and together through fields soft as plush, they'd run. They'd escape reality.

Fantasizing brought her tranquility, and was its own painkiller in itself. When her boot met the catwalk, and rose off the last step Chell felt surprise, and almost lost her grip on what was real and what was not. But then she forced everything back inside again, biting her tongue to avoid an unintentional gasp, or murmur. Her thoughts were her own, private. She couldn't voice them to anyone, that was one advantage of being mute, but if she lost her grip on the barrier she'd built between her mind and the world, they and she both would be exposed and manipulated. Emotions, as long as they were shallow and not layered in precious stacks, were acceptable to be shared. Sometimes. At other points they served as gates into a person's soul, freshly-oiled gates with golden finishing and welcoming bells that tinkled like the laughter of children. Chell had never heard a bell. All she'd heard were sirens and blasts of beeps, the kind of noises that jolt someone out of their skin in a swift moment. The woman's skin was scarred and torn, but it was still on her bones. However, if a cacophonous setting couldn't shake Chell, exposure could. She refused to open that gate fully, instead letting it creak open a crack, gentle, silver light rays shining through the gap for some to see, and admire their vague mystery. Just when anyone reached for the gate, it slammed shut. It took their fingers with it, blood dripping down the gate as a warning to those in the future. Eventually, though, the blood dried and caked off,and the light peered from behind the gate again, hopeful yet never trusting. To prevent manipulation, Chell held in her wishes and desires and put on a mask. That was all that Aperture, all that GlaDOS, knew. Down here though, where deals and trust ships were being formed out of necessity, the woman found the computer looking at her strangely when she thought the test subject wasn't looking, sneaked glances of thoughtful contemplation that sent a wave of uncertainty through Chell. She was allowing herself to show. Her mask was cracking, and GlaDOS was beginning to see underneath the cracks. She had slipped her fingers inside the gate, and her fingers hadn't been snapped yet even though they should have a long time ago. That terrified her.

"Say, Tooma. Normally I'd let you stumble and fall, as a method to teach you to, at the bare minimum, stop walking when you're attempting to think with that feeble mind of yours. But since you'd probably land on top of me and send my poor self splattering all over the metal, I will make an exception. Stop before you trip over that stair there- yes, that stair."

Chell backed away from the stair, glancing to the right where she had the ASHPD. She'd meant to respond to her partner, but in the exact same direction was a door far more technological than any others here. It was constructed of a sturdy metal, and its door handle actually looked to be genuine bronze. Above the handle was an implemented digit pad, for entering the security code that would unlock the door. Turning, she took a step and stood in front of it, biting the inside of her left cheek when she tapped a finger against a '1' and the pad lit up. The number inputted, but seven additional spaces were open and blinking, awaiting her next typed digit. Not expecting a complicated code, she looked to GLaDOS, cocking her head to the side, shrugging. The AI stared at the number pad, then shook her aperture, bringing it to rest on Chell's face again.

"Now how am I supposed to know a security code for some place greater than 600 years old? Why do you want in there anyways?"

Well, in actuality, she hadn't thought about _why_; everything she'd done had mainly been out of impulse. Thinking about it, though, she came up with a reasonable idea. If this older Aperture, Old Aperture, was anything like Modern Aperture, this was an entrance to an employee area. Employee areas led to everywhere inside the facility, and held an infinite amount of controls and functions for the Center. If Chell had know how to work the devices she'd come across on her first escape from GlaDOS, chances are she could have shut down all the cameras and turrent dispensers before the computer even discovered her where-abouts. In other words, employee areas had a certain degree of control. Therefore, didn't it make sense to try to locate them, to seek them out and exploit their contents? Indeed it did. In order to express that to the AI, Chell pretended to adjust a tie around her neck, carefully shifting the portal device to a single hand, though it set her nerves on high alert. Gripping her top in a tight grip, she twisted and tugged, then smoothed it out, erecting a taller stance to symbolize pride and sophistication. Mediocre at best, the pantomime was a triumph.

"An Employee Monitoring Walkway! Oh that would be fantastic and much more bearable than trudging through the dirt and grime with you and that monstrosity- or should I say that bird and your monstrous tendencies. Give me a second; I'll try to guess the code logically."

_Have at it, miss potato. Us monsters await your instruction._

Chell gave a salute, to which GlaDOS stared at in questionable annoyance.

"Try 01100101; it's the last letter of 'science' in binary."

Complying, the test subject entered it in. The screen flashed an angry red, rejecting the code as if it were a sour lemon buried underneath a pile of tangerines. Giving a wince, Chell tilted her head again, observing with some amusement the way GlaDOS' optic narrowed into an offended expression. She had the woman try all the letters of 'Science', then when that didn't work she gave her the entire alphabet in binary for her to try. No result. It most definitely wasn't binary..but that made it all the harder to decode. The pad was numbered 0 to 9; over a hundred combinations and no way to record what had already been tried. They attempted a few more times, using dates of apparent importance, according to the AI, but to no avail; the door remained securely locked, and the Employee Monitoring Walkways stayed Employees Only. Nadine lowered her head and pressed herself forward in a crouch, eying what her human was working with. Chell caught her eye, and disappointingly gave her head a shake, curling her hand into a fist and knocking on the door in a last, futile act. The sound echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls, vibrating against the REPGL quadruplets. Of course, no one answered, and the trio was left out in the cold, so to speak. Unfettered, though, Chell gripped the ASHPD again, shrugging to the AI.

_We did a decent effort, but looks like we're going to have to clamber out of here using wits and elbow grease._

The test subject raised the corner of her mouth in a half grin, already turning around and heading up another small flight of stairs that rose to the highest catwalk.

_Luckily for us, I have enough of both to get us out of here. I swear it._

"No matter, perhaps there will be another entrance to an EMW someplace else. For the moment, though.."

Coming to the top of these stairs with a mild stumble, Chell bit her tongue and flinched, taking a deep breath and banishing any negative sensations. At GlaDOS words she creased her eyebrows, doubtful, but kept an open mind anyway. Certainly there was a chance, whether it was a 50% percentage or a .05% percentage. She'd take either one. Similarly to the catwalk which she'd just exited, this particular walk lead in one direction; it led left. Lying at the end was another locked door, number pad patiently waiting for someone's fingers to activate its button so it could reward them with disappointment. Inwardly groaning as she did so, Chell rotated on her heel and set her boot on the stair, annoying that she was going to have to retrace her steps, elicit a pertinent, alternate route. Going down stairs was much more despairing than scrambling up them, she soon found, but sure enough she ended up on the original catwalk after two series of the accursed things. From here on, the woman vowed not to venture up stairs unless she was certain that there was an appropriate destination reachable afterward. Facing the direction she just came from, the test subject put her acquired testing skills to use, searching the room for a hidden way to a free passage, concealed like a speck of dust hidden right underneath her nose as it waited for her to come to her senses and sneeze. Her back made contact with the stair rails, but her eyes made contact with something of far more importance; her path. Above, there was a higher catwalk, the likes of which led out of a gaping hole in the wall. A soft glow shone in from the opening, a beacon in the mist. Sailing forward to her lighthouse, the woman shot her blue portal above the recently-discovered catwalk, her orange portal finding its place on the dead-end she'd reached at her current level. Winking at her bird, who curiously tilted her head to the side, she eased herself through the portal, landing modestly on her right foot. The walk groaned at her weight, its condition surprisingly worse than the other catwalks.

Out of caution she hurried to the hole in the wall, stopping at the spot where the floor fell away, standing on the tip of what was left with a cautious posture. The entire atmosphere changed, morphed into its next stage without a warning prior. What lay ahead on them was another elevator shaft, though stationed high above it was a looming enrichment sphere, its surface rusted and peeling, though it still held fast to its post. Pipes and transport tubes attached to it in numerous places, whirring loudly as their contents were shipped to the testing environments at an unrealistic swiftness that would have knocked the air out of the woman if she'd been in the tubes. After all, she knew from experience that the disbelieving efficiency of Aperture's transport pipes had the capability to steal her breath away both literally and figuratively. If the spheres had appeared large before, now their utter monumental size was revealed; just a single one would have been four times the dimensions of a present test chamber. Chell felt the anxiety return as she took all this in, shivering when a cool breeze skipped across her skin from the drafty range. The change in temperature symbolized a change of mood, for the test subject took a step backward, biting her tongue, hard. Tracing her gaze along the sphere's shape, her skin began to tingle, invisible spiders edging along the length of her arms and back. Their legs brought undeniable emotions of frustration and determination; her fear served as the motivation rather than the hindrance it had been before. Her pesticide, her deterrent, was to relax her muscles, to slow her rapid heart beat, to return to a state of stubborn resolution.

"Whoa there, watch your step. There's no platform or scaffolding for you to follow here."

GlaDOS warned, dropping her aperture to the test subject's feet in order to get Chell to do the same. Chell did, scowling when she saw that, yes, there was a lack of proper support leading to the elevator shaft. There was, however, a..**detour**. Carefully wrapping a hand around the deteriorating edge of the gap, she got a good advocate, which she laid testy reliance on when she dangled her injured leg outside, over a singing pipe that ran underneath her feet. Taking a deep breath, she hopped the rest of the way out through the wall, tightening her grip as her only remaining foot lost its ground. When it came landing onto the pipe, the toe of the boot slid on its slick surface; Chell hadn't seen it before, but now that she had heard the squelch her boot had made, she saw that the pipe was slick with a strange, orange substance. Regardless of the past, she was currently slipping, and the destination of her fall was the acid water thousands of feet below. Her legs folded under her, her pants soaking up the cold the pipe radiated. Instinctively she shut her eyes and pulled her face into a grimace, in preparation of what was to come. Only, **nothing** happened. Snapping her eyes open and staring backwards, Chell let out a silent sigh of relief. Her knuckles were white with strain, the tips of her fingers beginning to blossom into lavender. Her grip hadn't failed her, for she still had the ole human strength.

Pulling herself up with purely arm strength alone was bitter work, but considering her 86% increase in that particular strength, according to her overlord, the woman accomplished her goal and stood on a single leg on top of the unctuous, metallic serpent, already continuing ahead. With her bird clinging onto her shoulder for dear life, and GlaDOS clicking loudly in nervousness, Chell concentrated purely on lifting one unsteady foot after the other, her warped walking style adding surmountable exigence. She wanted desperately to plant her right hand against the wall to her side, to feel a solid enforcement on the cracked skin across her palm. The ASHPD prevented her from doing that though, and while she could switch it to her left hand, that would likely just upset her minimal equality of gravity she possessed. She would tilt to the left, weight being bombarded onto her weak leg. It'd give, and she'd plummet, fall, die. So, she kept haphazardly staggering across the pipe, coming to a completely stop whenever she felt herself start to sway, to lose concentration. Then she resumed, ignoring the growing clicks of an extremely stressed processor. Time was an illusion, passing excruciatingly laggardly until she reached a dip in the pipe. More prepared for this sort of drop than she had been back in the areas preceding the old welcoming expanse of Aperture Science Innovators, Chell lowered herself until she was sitting, then firmly pushed with her left arm, coming to the top of the bend. Shooting a warning look to the computer, she waited until her companion had darkened her optic in hesitant acknowledgment, and pushed herself over. Air tickled her face as she slid, several instances almost ending in her tipping to the side, tumbling into the abyss. But in the end, she picked herself up shakily, finishing her path along the pipe, turning herself sideways so she could glide over the catwalk's railings. Her body profusely refused to cooperate, agony swelling in her leg and stretching to the sides of her abdomen. She allowed herself to tumble limply onto the walk, barely catching herself by grasping the rail behind her before she slammed into the metal. For a long minute she simply crouched there, inhaling and exhaling loudly through her mouth as the exhilaration died away.

_I just practically walked a tight rope with no nets, no support, whilst carrying two others and while under affliction. _

Her breathing was almost at its normal pace, a lazy breeze of air streaming in and out of her nostrils. Although her physical state was under par, her mental state saw a boost at this success. Uneasily getting to her feet, Chell hobbled a few times, getting accustomed to having solid ground underneath herself again. Perking up at the nibbling of her ear, the test subject cast a warm grin to Nadine, sighing softly when the bird decided to cuddle against her neck after she'd gotten a reaction from her human. The animal's firm grip on her shoulder was reassuring, and appreciated. It seemed nothing could knock the stubborn bird off her Chell, toes curled tightly and digging into the human's skin. It hurt slightly, but it was far better than losing that low huffing and puffing that Chell had grow accustomed to hearing in her right ear. After sighing, Chell looked to GlaDOS, catching her gaze within her own. She could visibly tell the computer's relief; her optic was lowered in a grateful crescent, the color soft. It was strange how expressive the AI had gotten while trapped in her vegetable form; it was easier to read her than ever before. It was reassuring for Chell, as it felt as if a barrier between them had been broken, an awkward wall of forbiddings hammered and hacked to the earth. At her test subject's stare, GLaDOS recalled her normal optic settings, readjusting with a stale 'hmph'.

"You know, that was **terrifying**. Next time, when you make the decision to limp precariously on top of a slippery pipe thousands of feet above toxic liquid, give a fair warning so I can compose my will."

Raising her eyebrows, incredulous, Chell shook her head, hesitantly attempting a few steps and finding them bearable.

"You most definitely wouldn't be in my will. It's all going to the Advisory Cube."

_Companion Cube, Discouragement Redirection Cubes, Weighted Storage Cubes, Advisory Cube, you'd think there might be a Teleportation Cube with all the annoying variation Aperture has to offer. _

The woman shrugged, indifferent.

"Don't act as if you wouldn't **love** my facility. You've certainly nosed around in it enough to exclaim that you have a spark of interest in it."

Personally, the last possession she wanted was Aperture. Not even her partner could change that, and she highly doubted she sought after Chell's own appreciation of her beloved science facility; GlaDOS wanted her test subject's obedience and submission. She didn't want her veneration, but then again, when you had control of an entire range of Science, the only opinion that mattered was your own. It mattered because frankly, opinions lead to facts. Their uncertain nature lead to investigations of their accountability, and while countless were proved to be illogical, nonsense, countless others had emerged from the shadows as inventions of new technologies and theories. Thus, a mere belief led to progression. Asking for someone else's thoughts was elementary; working within one's mind frame, digging beneath the basic dirt that buried enlightenment, was nothing short of salient. When comparing the two adjectives, elementary and salient, the preferred term the AI would've tied to her accomplishments in Science was obviously the second. Test subjects' opinions, when it came down to it, didn't matter. Their results were what signified triumph. Sluggish, unimpressive results didn't earn you your voice.

"Still though, let's not get into any more hazardous situations, if that's _possible_ for someone on your level of insanity."

GlaDOS grunted, drawing her optic from side to side.

"After all, dying is not on the agenda."

Rubbing her hand along her thigh, Chell stared ahead in her path, a flat expression as she regarded the elevator she'd worked so hard to reach. It resembled nothing like the elevators she was used to, with their pristine, crystal-clear glass that she had spitefully smudged with her greasy fingers, smearing oil until the transparent turned opaque. GlaDOS always had them clean after her next test though, smooth and even in their operation. It was an annoyance, for it was a reminder of the stable Enrichment Center. It was a reminder that testing would continue. This elevator in front of her now, though, was not stable and certainly not pristine. With its rusted exterior and worn wooden floors, it didn't even have a secure door to close in front of the woman. In fact, it looked like the lift she'd rode underground before, a mere transport lift instead of a passenger elevator designed with safety as a priority. However, there was an element of familiarity. Stretched across the entrance to the lift was a buzzing blue field, the particles churning in white ocean-waves. It was primitive, but certainly there was no denying what the woman predicted it was. Walking closer, Chell confirmed.

_An Emancipation Grill._

**'They say great Science is built on the shoulders of giants. '**

Flinching at the sudden burst, Chell clenched her teeth together at the sound; it was coming from **everywhere**. It echoed on top of the dozen of P.A. Systems undoubtedly contained in this huge area.

**'Not here. At Aperture we do all our Science from scratch, no hand-holding.'**

At that the woman grinned, holding out her left hand palm-out to her supercomputer partner, wiggling the fingers in towards herself. GlaDOS scanned her hand with a cold stare, then groaned dramatically, indicating to the elevator with rapid swings of her aperture upward. Twisting her mouth into a pouting frown, Chell retook her hand, fixing it inside the grip of the ASHPD again. Her fingers skirted across the blue portal's button, shaped in a square, covered in a sleek coating. She ran her pointer finger across the corresponding orange button, covered in the same coated but morphed into the shape of a circle. Thoughtfully, she traced their shapes, then took aim at the Emancipation Grill. Squinting to get a clearer visual, Chell waited until her vision corrected itself before jamming her finger onto the square button. Her portal gun jumped backwards as it sent its portal traveling, and Chell held onto it firmly, suppressing a mad giggle when she caught sight of the potato being thrown backwards, optic spinning in disorientation. Her portal struck the grill, and with a cry, evaporated, dark blue particles fizzling at the contact and drifting upwards to the Enrichment Sphere above. Guiding the ASHPD as it settled back into its waiting state, the woman headed towards the elevator, rapidly tapping her nails on the gun once it was steady enough.

"Ergh, what? I'm trying to recover from being propelled backward as a result of a reality-defying loophole being fired at an approximate speed of 700 million miles an hour. Let me guess..you broke a nail."

_Yes, and it was **tragic**. But in all seriousness..._

Biting down on her outer lip, white teeth peeking out from behind chapped lips, Chell peered anxiously at the Emancipation Grill they now stood still in front of, looking to GlaDOS and Nadine, shifting uncertainly. Her memory informed her of the grill's purpose, to fizzle the smugglings of test subjects, to emancipate vital testing apparatus from their pathetic ownership. Out of everything she'd encountered in Aperture, the only equipment Chell knew that had been allowed through the Emancipation Grills was the ASHPD, the clothes she was wearing, and her longfall boots. Her two companions did not fall into those three categories, nor had she tested to see whether or not a bird or potato might vanish if it were to touch the grills ever before. So, she was reluctant to enter the lift. What if, after everything so far, so passed through and was met with their screams of utter excruciation, as the very molecules of their being were shred off their existence, animals being skinned alive? The prospect of it caused her eyes to burn, and she blinked furiously, hard. GlaDOS appeared worried as well, examining the elevator time after time, inch over inch although she had already seen each detail it had to offer. Eventually she snapped her optic back to Chell's face, her aperture unwavering and wide.

"Do it. We didn't come this far to be halted by a mess of a prototype of an Emancipation Grid."

She didn't say whether or not she or Nadine would be vaporized, which was a disturbing indication of uncertainty in her. However, when she sensed the test subject's hesitancy, GlaDOS rolled her aperture in a perfect circle, then stopped and reversed its direction. Chell felt her breath lurch, brake to a standstill and skid roughly on the pavement that was air. Her engine stalled, but then roared back into life, urging her to slide a foot through and into the elevator. Quickly so she wouldn't stop herself at the last minute, Chell staggered fully into the elevator, forcing her eyes to stay open. Her chest hit the elevator wall roughly, receiving a gasp from the woman. When the doors clicked shut she hurriedly snatched the portal gun up, fear condensing in her stomach. There the potato lay, functioning perfectly the same as she had the entirety of their time in Old Aperture. Nadine too, breathed in the exact rhythm she'd always had. Giddy with relief, Chell laughed softly, coughing several times as she did, but continuing nonetheless. GlaDOS affixed her with a dazed look. The elevator rattled in its bearings, then started its rise, gradually getting higher and higher, leaving the lower parts of this past Aperture far below.

"I-I don't thiiiink my systems were designed to goooo-uuu-oo through thou-thoust-_those_ grills. Everything is all juuuumbled around. Buut it appears to beee subsiding."

Watching GlaDOS attentively, her test subject adjusted herself so much of her weight was focused onto the back of the elevator, retrieving her deserved break from limping about. She chuckled when the computer made a variety of sounds, several that sounded like air being expelled or sirens being put through auto tune. Noticing the girl's mirth, the AI grumbled something about an assessment. In the next second there was an affirmative bleep, and the computer's vocal processors recovered from the ordeal.

"There, much better! Now. Listen carefully to me, Tooma."

Blinking in recognition, Chell complied.

"These tests, they date back several hundreds of years. They will **not** be the same as what you are used to. They're probably massively easier since they didn't have the honor of being created by **me**, but I digress."

Huffing at the high levels of cockiness, she shook her head, glancing at the bird on her shoulder and offering a shrug. Nadine chirped, straitening her back and watching the shaft's walls through the grate's on the lift's side sink as the elevator itself rose; her interest was elsewhere.

"Anyways," The AI continued, "I'm warning you to be prepared for entirely new testing elements that have the potential to not only be inefficient, but lethal. Understand?"

_Lethal testing elements? That's nothing new. What do you take me for, GlaDOS, a child?_

Puffing out her chest, Chell narrowed her eyes in purpose, tossing her head to the side so her ponytail swept across her shoulders, swinging back to its firm position after it concluded its revolution. Her chin held high, she smirked reassuringly at the AI, lifting the portal device for emphasis. It took a while for GlaDOS to respond, but eventually she did with a drawn-out sigh.

"I hope you're right."

Unnoticed by the test subject, GlaDOS dropped her gaze to the woman's injured leg. Chell put a minimal amount of weight on it, tipping her body forward, testing hazardous waters. It held, shakily.

Snapping to attention when the lift bumped along its course, lowering its speed, the woman tightened her grip on her ASHPD and shot a look to her bird that threatened to tear her soul out of her feathered body if she didn't stay put. Nadine wisely closed her feet tighter around the test subject's shoulder, sinking down into a sitting position. As the elevator came to a complete stop, Chell stared firmly at the doors, waiting for their opening, waiting for the beginning of what she'd thought she'd left behind for good, the beginning of their liberation. Almost eerily, the doors slid open, groaning as they retracted into the floor. Pure darkness engulfed them, the only light the insignificant glow of GlaDOS' optic, which expanded in an attempt to swallow more light so the AI could see. Nostalgia bogged down on Chell, and she felt her pulse quicken. Fragments of memories of her nightmare came flooding back to her in a mass tide, filling her eyes and mouth with salt. Her legs lost sensation, she couldn't move her eyes. She was paralyzed, laying face-up in an unknown prison without the solace of her own two hands. Shockingly, she remembered the most alarming part of her chilling nightmare: her own being serving as a fuel source, an energy supply. Even now, she felt the pain of electrical circuits tracing her organs. Shaking, she drew GlaDOS closer to her, struggling to keep herself collected as her lungs began to heave and quiver in her ribcage. Her fingers shook inside the trigger chamber, soon escalating to trembles along her arms. Nadine chirped nervously, heightening Chell's fright. Her hand in the trigger chamber shook furiously, hardly able to maintain a grip at all. A sudden burst of orange bursting into pieces directly in front of her caused her to let out a high-pitched yelp, retreating swiftly to the safety of the back of the elevator, her back pressed hard against the grate wall. It shook as her breathing became quick and labored, and violent shivers started taking hold of her body. Now she held the ASHPD as close as possible, squeezing it into her chest as she held on to that one spot of light, her utter **fear** making her forget that her light source was her partner as well.

"Hey, hey! Relax, it's alright, it's just dark."

Upon hearing GlaDOS' voice she flinched, closing her eyes and letting a large shudder rack through herself. She could feel the sweat trailing down her face, pooling beneath her eyes and making them sting. She truly could taste salt in her mouth now, as a result of panting for air and the sweat flowing onto her tongue. It was nauseating, and she spat, half-heatedly swiping at her mouth with her wrist. It stuck there, making her skin sticky, adhesive. Furiously she wiped her wrist on her jump suit's pants leg, eyelashes fluttering, breaths hardly anything but gasps. Hand still covered in her salty water, she shoved it back into the grip chamber of the ASHPD, grabbing onto the rubber and squeezing tightly. Her eyes closed, and her arms clung tight to her sides. Shutting off the dark with the darkness she harnessed behind her eye lids wasn't effectual, her shivering unceasing, breathing hard as stones. So she shot her eyes open and moaned softly, nearly inaudibly. There was someone who heard, though.

"Tooma."

GlaDOS spoke her name normally, no trace of emotion present in her voice. Chell fastened her eyes on the yellow aperture for a split second, pupils thin slits in a pool of blue, before shuddering madly and setting her forehead on the surface of the ASHPD, trying to find comfort in its cool plastic. Wheezing as she sought release from her phobia, the test subject pressed her face harder to the gun, to the most reliable apparatus she'd ever known. But her panic only escalated, and she found herself whimpering audibly now, light but still public. Her mask had cracked across the side, and her hidden fear was pouring out, black tar on her pale, science-kissed cheeks. She began to choke, heart pumping wildly and lungs screeching for more air, more air, more air...

"_This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: Huge Success._"

Chell didn't react to the smooth voice, just continued gasping heavily. Visions pranced in her mind, crashing into anything of comfort, anything of composure. They cackled and laughed, their malevolent glee poisoning her soul.

"_It's hard to overstate my satisfaction."_

This time Chell lifted her cheek off the portal gun, staring at GlaDOS blankly, confusedly. Her eyes stung, it hurt to see, but she couldn't deny the comforting convalescence..

"_Aperture Science. We do what we must, because we can. For the good of all of us, except the ones who are dead."_

Chell blinked at the less-than pleasant lyrics, but strangely, felt no repelling feelings towards the song. It almost seemed prominent, ultimately acquainted somewhere deep within. The visions had hesitated, the words to the song forming a fence of sharp glass, menacing and strong, around Chell's psyche. Their own reflections were reflected in the clear crystal, and for the first time, the demons themselves experienced fright.

"_But there's no sense crying over every mistake; you just keep on trying until you run out of cake."_

She latched onto the memories brought about by the word 'cake', allowing those to fill her mind instead of the pictures from her nightmare, pictures of the dark. Images of various kinds of cakes she'd seen on GlaDOS' screens and scenes from test chambers piled up in stacks, burying her nightmare, neutralizing the acidity in her brain. She shivered less than before, fighting valiantly to regain her proper breathing beat.

"_And the Science gets done and you make a neat gun.."_

Raising her head off the ASHPD and staring eye to optic with GlaDOS, the woman stopped her shivering, caught a blessing of air, and hummed to the last line of the verse.

"_For the people who are still alive."_

Finishing the song, the AI went silent as she awaited Chell's recovery, her ragged pants still evident, although she no longer shook. Chell breathed deeply, forcing herself to gratefully accept each serving of air before seeking another. Gradually, her heart rate returned to normal, and the sweat dried to her skin. She felt stiff, achy, and violated. Her little episode had been witness by non other than her former tormentor, who had probably wished to see the test subject reduced to nothing but a moaning shell...

But she'd also been calmed by that very same former tormentor. Replaying the song in her head, she was astonished that she was able to place the tune; she'd heard it vaguely, likely on the verge of unconsciousness, broadcast in such a way that static filled most of the melody, devoured the words without remorse. She'd know that tune anywhere though, and for whatever reason, GlaDOS had known that. She'd _known_ that it would spur a reaction, that Chell's mind would subconsciously set to pinpointing the source of the familiarity of it. So, when it came to the conclusion, the conclusion was this: She had sang to her to make her forget by remembering. Although it was horribly revealing to have someone see her at a low point, the woman reasoned that the AI had told her, in her usual roundabout way, that they had a shared past, a shared present. That meant they were responsible for each others actions, whether they liked it or not. They were to keep each other in check regardless of personal emotions; their relationship was to work as a well-oiled machine. Gulping down the last remnants of the salty taste in her mouth, Chell stood tall again, lowering the ASHPD to her side. Her eyes skimmed from Nadine to GlaDOS, resting on the computer with a hidden curiosity. Could it be that it was greater than a well-oiled machine? Perhaps, perhaps not.

Chell carefully set foot outside the lift, placing her left foot cautious out of the affirmative safety of the elevator. When her boot came into contact with metal, obvious by the _click_ her boot's heel produced, her muscles released their tension. Confidence returning, but not drilled into her essence yet, she followed tentatively with her right foot, biting her tongue at the pain in her leg, as well as a throb increasing in the back of her head. Pushing forward, she completely entered the blackness, the unknown. Almost immediately there was a series of clicks, before a gigantic burst of florescent light expanded throughout, igniting sight, bringing back clarity. Disoriented by the sudden illumination, and also by the surprised caw her bird let loose, Chell vigorously shook her head to clear it, then blinked heavily to sort out the blurs, restoring the sharpness to her eyesight. What she saw caused her mouth to drop, and her fingers wrapped around the barrel of the portal device to slacken. It didn't fall from her hold, but GlaDOS felt the difference, and darted her optic about to observe their surroundings as well. They were on another catwalk, and this one lead to a large sign not too far away; Chell could make out dozens of Enrichment Spheres and the Aperture Science Innovators logo on it. Then the walk curved left and finally right and up stairs, where it led through an emancipation grill and into what was most assuredly the first test they'd be coming across in their gauntlet. Drifting her gaze away from the entrance and to the structure of the test itself, the test subject scrunched her features in disapproval; the 'test' was a collection of wall planks nailed together to create a half-assed cubical shape, pipes feeding into the decaying walls at the front, bordering the stairs that guided into the test. Multiple high-beam lights were jammed into place, half of their height consumed by the acid liquid they were partially submerged in. Towering above her, she had to give Aperture credit for the height of the chamber, but the environment itself was absurd; she was practically in a 'bubble', with a half-finished construction attempt as her test. Giving GlaDOS a dubious, and entertained, stare, she motioned the ASHPD toward the collapsing construction, shrugging. Her partner swept her aperture across the area a last time before bobbing in a simulated nod.

"Yes, this is it. Not quite what I would consider high-quality testing material, but don't judge a book by its cover."

She ended her sentence ominously, trailing off her words so they bounced around the sphere's hollow containment.

_This book looks just about as lethal as wet paint._

Chell huffed, hobbling to the sign and pausing to skim over it briefly. There were eight other testing shafts aside from Test Shaft 09, and they all had different elements of experiments that were performed inside them all. They were linked by an underground train system, which explained the door leading to an underground locomotive they'd come across earlier. Truly, there wasn't anything of major importance, except that Chell was now able to count how many tests she was up against in this test shaft. Nine spheres climbed inside the shaft, but there wasn't a diagram of what was reached when a test subject completed the last test. Leave it to Aperture to leave their victims out of the loop, even this early in their history. Breaking her eyes away from the sign, she turned and continued along to the test, imagining the testing apparatus she was due to face. A cardboard turrent? A laser made of licorice? Oh, maybe a hard-dust bridge! When she came to the stairs, she grasped the rail, then suddenly swung herself, forcefully. She quickly scrambled once she had swung high enough to completely overtake the stairs, and stood above the stairway, confident smirk accounted for as she disregarded the trouble associated with them in the foregone.

"Great job, you've conquered stairs! I am so impressed. You know what would impress me even **further**? You advancing through these tests. Now. Without delay. Let's go."

_I aim to impress!_

Faking enthusiasm, the woman turned around, attempting a trot across the remainder of the catwalk.

**Alright, let's get started!**

Coming to a slow stop at the sound of the announcer's voice, Chell caught a white object out of the corner of her vision. Twisting her neck to the right, she saw that it was an old poster advertising what appeared to be an earlier portal gun. However, this portal gun was far larger than the one she wore on her arm; it wrapped around the test subject's entire body, a huge console strapped to their back with firm belts across the chest. The actual operational end of the early ASHPD was connected to the console via a thick vacuum tube, and controlled by two triggers, held with one grip. Instead of the name 'ASHPD', the prototype was named the 'Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device', alternatively the ASPQTD. Chell made a face at the name, disliking the sound after being so accustomed to her own lionized ASHPD.

**This first test involves something the lab boys call 'repulsion gel'. You're not part of the control group by the way; you get the gel. Last poor son of a gun got blue _paint_, haha! All joking aside that did..happen-broke every bone in his legs. Tragic. But informative! Or, so I'm told.**

Twitching in mild discomfort at the carefree tone on the P.A. Announcement as the announcer talked about control groups and broken legs, the woman glanced about, secretly searching for a way to skip this particular test. After all, according to GlaDOS, she already had a broken leg, and doubted that she needed another one. A couple minutes after light searching, and she'd discovered a wall up in the higher sections of the test construction, with a curious symbol painted on its surface. To her dismay, however, there wasn't a portal surface on **her **level; she wouldn't be able to portal up there, and since there was an Emancipation Grill over the test's entrance, using the portal surfaces in there was out of the question. Groaning, Chell reached up and ran a finger down Nadine's chest, absentmindedly rubbing circles. Soon though, a violent tremor shook the entire sphere, rattling the catwalk and jostling the trio. Staring, wide-eyed, first at the ceiling and then at GlaDOS, Chell felt her expression drop in despair.

_Wheatley._

The message was received loud and clear; the woman hurried to the test, staggering through the Grill and standing in front of a sign with lines and lines of text, came to an information board. Not having the time for that, Chell passed it, standing on the edge of a pit containing a suspicious blue substance. It entirely coated the floor of the pit, and didn't flow; it was as if it really **was** paint. Narrowing her eyes, the careful test subject backed away from the pit, darting her eyes to look at a certain sign that GlaDOS had pointed out with her jittery voice, the effects of the Emancipation Grill still applying to her. The sign demonstrated a man, jumping onto the substance, bouncing straight up after he'd made contact with it. The line following said man coincidentally happened to look like a check mark. Chewing on her lip as she approached the pit again and peered in, she realized why the poor son of a gun had broken his legs; he'd attempted to use this blue goop the same as Chell has used Aerial Faith Plates, and came crashing down full-force on his legs! Which meant they hadn't had long-fall boots back in this age..or heel springs. At the thought of heel springs she grew bitter but she quickly squashed that back down, compacting her emotions into a more manageable package. Confirming that there was absolutely **no way** she'd be able to solve this test within injury, the abilities of a single leg only went so far, she turned on her heel and headed back to the entrance, turning to face the sign so she could read it.

_Repulsion Gel._

She suddenly recalled the REPGL pipes back in the control areas, and thus her interest was piqued. Leaning closer, she read about the gel until her hunch was affirmed; it was similar to Modern Aperture's Aerial Faith Plates, only not powered by tons of weight underneath a launching panel. Also, Faith Plates had never been created as dietetic pudding substitutes. Close enough, though. Annoyance at the prospect of failure, Chell fired the ASHPD blindly, slamming her finger onto the orange button. The portal actually connected, bursting into existence in front of her. Examining where the portal was closely with several adjustments and tilts of her head, she noted, with surprise, that the information plate was a portal surface. Unexpected, but suddenly very inspirational indeed. Chell's eyes lit up, genius emerging on the surface of her thoughts. Urgently she wedged her fingers between the two portal buttons, flipping the switch that controlled the gun's gravity beams. They sparked to life, then sizzled, popping into death like firecrackers.

_Oh, right. That's broken._

Dropping her arm, she habitually tapped the side of the ASHPD on her leg as she thought, the action resembling someone tapping their foot impatiently. She halted when she heard GlaDOS groan in dissatisfaction, widening her eyes; she'd forgotten about her for a second there. Patting the top of the gun as the computer recovered from both the impairments of the Grill and being swung about, Chell thoroughly eyed the information plate, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth, keeping it there as she ran everything over in her brain. Nadine chirped contently on her shoulder, happily watching the human solve her first test. Amazingly, that chirp was what sewed it all together for the test subject, white threads finally clinging tightly together, snug and durable. The woman stopped patting the gun, and held it normally, twisting around and exiting the test out the entrance, heel springs of her boots clipping against the metal as she walked down the catwalk. Hissing out of existence, the orange portal vanished as she stepped through the Emancipation Grill, a painful cry. GlaDOS gasped, viciously bobbing her optic back towards the entrance. Chell ignored her, but stopped where she was: in the middle of the walk.

"Areeee you **inuuu-..insee-..in-sane**? Weee just came from this wayyy; going back would reduce progress majorly. Turnnn arounnnd and do the test; I reaaalize you have an injury, yes, but there's nothing else to do."

The AI rapidly began resetting her vocal processors, looking to Chell in necessity as she did so. Delicately, gently, the test subject lay the ASHPD in the middle of the catwalk, rising up despite the enraged 'No, peeeck me blaaack up!' GlaDOS fired her way. Smiling sheepishly, she held out her hands, both free now, palms out. She pushed them the computer's way, forward and back as if she was pushing oxygen. Chell pointed at the AI, then made the motion again, backing away a step.

_Stay there._

Drawing a hand to her chest, she traced a cross across her heart, nodding earnestly, backing farther all the while. Her partner watched her, optic formed off to the side, slightly wider than usual. The computer wouldn't admit it, of course, but the expression she was making was obviously one of paranoia. Frowning, Chell gestured to the ASHPD, held up her empty hands, and waved them in the air. The absence of a particular object, no, a particular _entity_ was enough of a strong communication in itself. Coming to understanding that, GlaDOS' optic brightened swiftly, but faded within the next seconds. It was back to its normal size, however, and for that reason the test subject internally grinned. She wouldn't abandon the AI now; even if she had intended to, she would've taken her quantum device with her. By leaving the potato with her ASHPD, Chell was promising her that she'd return for both her and the device. Once she was absolutely sure that the computer believed that promise, she quickly turned around and limped the rest of the way, slipping through the Emancipation Grill, feeling the particles bounce along the back of her neck. Her target was directly ahead. Approaching it, she wrapped a hand around its corner, digging her nails into the wood of the frame its back was constructed of. Her bird hopped from foot to foot, chirruping angrily at the information plate in front of the two companions, for reasons unknown. Concentrating, tuning out Nadine as part of the process, Chell grabbed the other corner of the plate, stretching her arms out to their full length; the plate was the size of a standard wall panel. She ground her teeth as she worked, tugging at each of the four corners of the plate, loosening the glue that kept it bound to the test chamber's wall. Snaps and crackles alerted to its rapidly weakening state, like rapids warned of their incoming overshadow, of a waterfall. Shoving her hands farther behind the plate, she dug through the dried glue, pushing against the back of the sign. It resisted for but a second before it began to peel off the wall, following the test subject's will as she reeled it into her arms. At a final pull, the Repulsion Gel plate tumbled completely into the subject's arms. She grunted at the sudden, overbearing weight, which turned into a yelp when that weight found her hurt leg. Far too quickly she shoved the plate away, sending it falling away from her body and onto the ground will a loud **clank**! Breathing in a hiss, the woman winced, staring down at the sign which rivaled her own height. It would be impossible to carry it, but what if she dragged it? Cautiously pushing her right leg ahead and bending it, she got close to the plate's level, grabbing it by a corner. Pressing forward on her leg, she struggled to lift it off the floor, breathing heavily with the exertion. Her fingers slipped and she nearly lost her grip, but alas she kept her hold, pulling herself to her feet once she had the plate on its side. Leaning on it as she caught her energy, Chell had a sudden thought.

_What if this plate gets vaporized? Nadine and GlaDOS were fine, but they aren't objects being smuggled out of the testing area._

Smacking herself in the forehead, she despised that possibility. Stubbornly though, she gripped the corner of it, dragging it towards the Emancipation Grill. It screeched as it was pulled, and she could detect GlaDOS' loud inquiries as well as Nadine's irritated shuffling. Trails of gray followed them as she drew the sign closer and closer to the entrance, until finally she stood to it with her back facing the particle field. From behind her, she heard the faint hum of the electric particles floating in their ravine, waiting, patient. Tightening her grasp on the plate in emphasis of her determination, she backed herself entirely out of the test chamber aside from her arms. Silently, she poised. Then she jerked her arms in a retraction, yanking the Repulsion Gel sign out of the test with a pace unmatched. The force sent her back colliding into the rail of the catwalk, but she wasn't worried about the metal digging into her back; she was far more interested in the heavy mass on her stomach. There, unharmed, the plate leaned onto the test subject, scraped along the bottom as a result of her harsh treatment, but still in one piece. Catching a shine of yellow, Chell snapped her head to the right, spotting her ASHPD and GlaDOS staring at her with a surprised aperture. She shrugged, pushing the plate off her and into a fall, where it landed onto the corresponding side of the rail out of momentum, laying at an incline. The test subject gingerly stepped over it, making her way back to her weapon. Already she had been aching to have it returned to her arm, to feel its constant weight and reliable barrel. Once her test subject was in range, the AI set to speaking immediately, continuing on to when Chell arrived at the ASHPD and scooped it up, fastening it to her arm with a satisfied nod.

"With all the racket you were making, I'd thought you were attempting to construct the next London Bridge over that Gel Pit. But, all you were doing was sneaking out a souvenir?"

GlaDOS narrowed her aperture at the information plate as Chell approached it, coming to a halt and nudging the plate with the toe of her boot. It didn't as much as wobble. Grinning to herself, Chell twisted her body and stared upwards, until she spotted the section of wall paneling in the upper part of the test that she'd noticed before. It stood out like a sore thumb with its strange, painted symbol. She didn't know what the symbol meant, except that it served as a fine target. Shooting a blue portal there, hearing it pop into reality, she then pointed the ASHPD at the plate, grinning when she saw the realization hit the computer like a sack full of bricks in the degree of its impetus. Without any hesitation, she set foot on the tilted surface, firing an orange loophole beneath her feet. The transportation happened in an instant; she examined her new surroundings from the higher catwalk, a blue light glowing around her figure, a portal's caress.

"I'll give you credit: that was resourceful."

Silently accepting the compliment, Chell held down the fluttering feeling of pride constructing in her chest, instead devoting herself to their task without delay. Off to the right the walk veered off into another small building. Heading that way, the woman caught herself gazing out across the seemingly endless toxic liquid lit by broad light beams, having a sickeningly feeling that it wasn't supposed to swirl in small waves, that it wasn't supposed to hold a bizarre beauty. The waves made loud sloshing sounds as they struck the posts supporting the test structure, breaking into a spray. She hadn't seen pure water, now that she thought about it; only solutions of acid and death. Was actual water this color? Maybe it was white, like the pure floor tiles of Aperture. Staring at the liquid for a few seconds longer, she imagined it in the color of white, delicate waves folding on the surface, ribbons of fluid. Gradually breaking her senses away from the sight, Chell instead turned and found herself at the doorway to another office, a miniature one. Limping inside, she discovered that in actuality, it was an observation office, looking on to the test she'd just bypassed. It was cluttered, two small desks and four large filing cabinets bordering the room on two sides. Only bothering to try to open one this time, she pulled at a drawer's handle, having no disappointment when she found it locked. There honestly didn't appear to be anything of major interest here; there were only telephones on the desks, and there wasn't a typewriter in the room at all.

_Hm..maybe there's another way, to the left possibly. _

Predicting that was indeed the case, she prepared to turn around the way she came, twisting her body to face the door again. However, she was stopped by a anxious bird, hopping up and down repeatedly on her shoulder. Glancing to her curiously, Chell puckered her lips at the animal, tilting her head to the side. Nadine fiddled nervously, peeping softly. Flattening her mouth in worry, the woman removed her hand from around the barrel of the ASHPD, raising her gripping hand to compensate. Soothingly, she rubbed her hand along the avian's back, blots of green prancing around her fingers. Nadine shook her hand away, chirping shrilly in distress. When Chell attempted to reach for her again, she leaped off the test subject's shoulder without warning, flapping hopelessly, but somehow managing to scramble onto the desktop of the first work desk. Her claws skidded on the smooth surface, causing her to slide all the way to the end and onto the next desk. Gasping, the human madly tried to catch her bird with her free hand, also while trying not to drop her portal device. Stretching out her fingers, she almost had Nadine in her hand when the bird suddenly darted to the side, clambering up an old dial phone. Landing heavily on the desk, it shook when Chell sprawled her upper half on its surface with grunt, glaring up at the bird perched on the corner of the phone. Setting the ASHPD and the chuckling potato to the side, the woman pushed off the top of the desk, using the strength of her elbows.

_**Nadine..** what's gotten into you?_

"See, I told you it was going to be troublesome in the future."

GlaDOS boasted her extreme talent of always being right, her tone smug, self-assured. Biting her lip, Chell couldn't help but begrudgingly agree; what had possessed the little avian to attempt a suicide dive? Holding her hand out to her bird, she felt most of her agitation dissipate when Nadine hopped onto her hand, clinging on tightly, and cooed apologetically. Shaking her head, she allowed the bird to climb to her shoulder, then set to straightening the phone back to the way it was prior to its disturbance, as if the owner of the office would be returning any second and she didn't want to be caught red-handed trespassing. As she started withdrawing her hand from the phone, her fingers skipped over the round dialing circle. She felt something foreign brush on the skin of her finger pads, smooth. Intrigued, she ran her fingers over the dialing circle again, feeling for the smooth material. Soon she felt it again; it seemed to actually be **inside** the circle. Delicately taking two fingers, she pinched onto it, coaxing it out through the number '7' circle. Gradually it appeared, a small sheet of paper wedged deep inside the telephone. It was thin, likely extremely fragile, so Chell took great care on jostling it loose from its hidden post.

_What on earth was this doing in there?_

Holding up the now-freed paper to her face, her eyes dilated in retention, and she felt a surge of excitement course through her veins.

"What is that, an instruction sheet? You don't need that, the phone won't work anyway. Besides, it's not like **you** have anyone to call or converse with."

GlaDOS taunted, irately watching from low upon the desk. Reciting in her mind what was written on the paper numerous times, she finally adverted her attention to the AI, grinning widely with the paper held firmly between her pointer and index finger. Bending her back slightly, she got closer to her partner's level before holding out the paper in front of her, flipping it around so she could see the inked message. GlaDOS' optic expanded, and she spoke in ambivalence.

"No way, you have _got_ to tell me this isn't real."

The test subjected grinned even wider, bringing the insignificant sheet of paper back to herself and harboring what was printed in the glistening pupils of her eyes.

_Oh, it's real. You better believe it._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Guess who had some free time, and actually sat down and worked on her Inflessi-baby for a while? That's right: THIS GIRL. I loooved writing this chapter, you have no idea. We're getting into the good stuff, and it's like my mind can sense that. Thus, my urge to write increases. Dramatically! Hoopla, have a sorta-early update. Hope you enjoy~! Also, your reviews are too kind. Each one matters so much to me, so thank you all greatly for your kindness. (Also, a note: No one has figured out the meaning of 'Tooma' yet. BUAHAHA).<strong>_


	7. Kalosorises Pais

~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~

In any other situation a piece of paper would have been considered mundane, useless, without value; for in general someone would not consider it having value over the precious stones known as gems. In this particular scenario though, a piece of paper become something of extreme importance, the faint inked characters smeared across its surface rivaling the text written to convey the will of God. Chell held that slip of paper between two fingers, studying what was written on the material with an intense feeling of unmeasurable **complacence**; ripples of satisfaction floated across the surface of her blood, eventually expanding to her eyes, where the ripples caused that colorless blue to shine even in the low-light the trio were encompassed in. GlaDOS, not one to be emotionally affected by anything as unsubstantial as a remnant of a murdered tree, simply lay on the table, skewered to her post on the ASHPD. Chell had shown her the discovery initially, but now the test subject thoughtfully marveled in it alone, taking the slowly mounting, but massively satisfying, feeling of pride associated with uncovering a concealed treasure, true gold buried underneath artificial glitter; a spark of reality within the sham. Fingering the paper delicately between her two fingers, Chell folded it in half, holding it in her hand a moment longer before she carefully nudged her pocket near her waist open, slipping the slip inside and then patting the pocket shut. Keeping her fingertips resting there, the woman lifted half her mouth into a small grin, finally settling her attention on her ASHPD, and GlaDOS, once more.

_How's about we start walking again? After all, we've just been given a benefit, have we not?_

Chell mused, reaching for the ASHPD and catching it with the tips of her fingers, which she used to lightly swap the portal device close enough so she was able to grip it in her hand, lifting it up in the same movement she used to enter a slumped, standing stance. Catching the AI's small aperture within her own eyes, the woman withheld the eye contact up until the second she had the ASHPD back in place. Then, she creased her eyebrows in thought, tightening her grip on the barrel of the gun in a sort of instinctive action spurred whenever her brain was kicked into contemplation, before slowly starting to tilt her head as a request for her input- But she was interrupted by a certain bird, happily prancing from one of Chell's shoulders to the other, purposely brushing her plumes against the sensitive skin of the test subject's neck. Flinching automatically, Chell gasped at the ticklish sensation, pulling her shoulders up and squeezing them closer together to cut off Nadine's path. It worked; the avian, now stranded on her usual shoulder she used as a perch, halted, instead chose to close her eyes and proudly puff her her chest, fluffing up back and allowing those green splotches to glow, to amble along the strings of her human's gaiety.

Staring blankly at Nadine for a second, Chell's face gradually broke into a smile, a smile that squeezed her cheeks in on themselves, pinched her eyes closed. Her gratification expressed facially, she swiftly let go of the ASHPD's barrel, tensing her right arm to compensate for the lack of support, and stroked the area just below Nadine's neck. The reaction was instant; her bird relaxed, chirping softly, opening her eyes to stare into Chell's which had opened not too much earlier. Reclaiming her hand, the woman propped it underneath her portal device again, wrapping her fingers around its base. Staring outside the office, she resisted the urge to head on, if only for a short time. Although she yearned to get going once again, to advance, and most of all to _escape_, her mind was jumbled. Not jumbled from confusion, but instead of almost irrevocable enthusiasm; possibilities flew, memories distorted as conjured pictures of the future rammed into them, altering her memories to support the future she subconsciously found the most appealing. It was a bit alarming, how willingly her mind was changing the past to make room for the future. She would have none of it. Glancing down at GlaDOS while she waited for her brain to calm, to return to truth instead of fabricating lies in order to gain progress like a certain supercomputer, her half-focused stare was mistaken as a hesitation, a request for reassurance.

"Don't worry, I'm certain that the catwalk and wooden planks crudely replacing the catwalk in some areas won't collapse under your weight..yet."

Breaking out of her slight daze, Chell hardened her expression. However, she felt most of the irritation she had begun to harbor slither away at the computer's zealous huff, irritation replaced instead by cognition. She shook her head, narrowing her eyes but keeping them open enough so GlaDOS could clearly see the roll of her eyes. The mimicry the AI performed, a neat circulation of her optic, served to cause the test subject to have to bite down on her tongue to avoid a snort. Her gesture wasn't repeated however; GlaDOS remained staring up at the woman in an unbroken stare, the vegetable completely still. Suppressing her own urge to blink, Chell shrugged, an unspoken question hanging in the air. It hung there awkwardly, a heavy weight defying the laws of gravity, hovering between human and machine. Finally, likely only to break the silence, GlaDOS responded. But her voice was sour, her vowels accented with a bitter rise in octave.

"Whatever are you gracing me with your attention for? You have other matters to attend to, do you not?"

That was true, undoubtedly; there were several other matters, each of which held their own level of specific importance. One of those matters was the dynamic shift in mood GlaDOS had just undergone. Had she not been averagely content earlier? Then again, their pace was admittedly slower than the test subject would prefer; perhaps she was growing anxious, paranoid that they would not clamber their ways back up to her domain she'd ruled for so long.

"Don't just stand there like a deer in headlights,"

Chell winced at the sneer evident in her voice, hinting that she knew she was drudging up old, bitter wounds with the reference to deer. Reminded of GlaDOS' offensive demeanor, it did not pass Chell over that she was speaking to her once more with the air of the apathetic overlord. Although, her voice remained tiny, no panels struck out to squeeze her between a pair of them and reduce her to a compressed skin sack of bones, and no neurotoxin flooded her nostrils or burned her lungs with its genuine corrosive nature.

"You never know what might hit you."

However, the words remained. Those cold, nosy words that were calculated before they were spoken, then dug deep into a person's soul, where they ripped and tore at whatever might be left of that person's resolve. **These** words though, they stung with a different sort of agony, one which Chell could not identify. She knew the AI was not talking literally; somehow that made it even worse. She was unaware of what to call it, but Chell could detect a concealed meaning behind that phrase, a deeper truth. There was no doubt, though there was plenty of tense frustration. Biting her tongue, the test subject diverted her eyes, wordlessly disposing of the atmosphere with a limp forward, which soon increased to a wobbly walk out of the office and back onto the catwalk, where the stench of the acid water below rose up to her nostrils. Scrunching her nose, Chell upturned her head to the side as she walked, pressing her lips tightly against each other as if that would keep the smell at bay.

_The sweet fragrance of testing. Did I miss it? Of course, of course._

GlaDOS, oddly, did not appear to be interested in further speaking to her test subject. She darted her optic about, jerking it away whenever it came into contact with either Chell's eyes or the golden beads of the avian perched quite happily on her shoulder. Searching the area where they had come, the test subject followed the rusted railings, barring her from tumbling into the acid water below. She was grateful, as her balance was still off, still subject to change. There were moments where she waned, her side hitting the rails when her bad leg decided to fail. After those moments she'd scramble to right herself, using those rails additionally as a brace. Each time she faltered, GlaDOS' optic would narrow, and she would peer up into the woman's face; that was the only time she made eye contact. Likely, it was out of fear for her own well-being. The AI needn't worry, however; the walk was short and Chell was not one to make mistakes often.

Chell passed the wall with the strange marking, that strange marking now concealed by the idle portal whose ring spun slowly and indifferently. Hesitating, the test subject stared into the portal, the view from its partner still present. Slowly she continued, just for another foot or so before she reached another drop, though it was no where near as dangerous as all the others she'd taken so far on this endeavor. Instead, stairs lay underneath the test subject and her two partners, innocent yet foreboding to the imperial chambers of testing that they always, invariably, led to. Rather than dwell or allow the frustration to boil, Chell simply faced the way she had came, placing foot after foot as she returned to her blue portal. It was strange, but **both** of her partners, machine and bird, were staring back to where the stairs lay. Of course, to them, testing didn't mean anything; Nadine was an animal, and although her personality was endearing and preciously innocent, she held no understanding of anything on the scale that a human would. As for GlaDOS, she was always the orchestrator of testing, always the plucker of the strings of the puppets. To her, a test was a well-oiled instrument awaiting its player. GlaDOS loved to play. Chell was the only one that knew, that **could** know, the horrors associated with the game Science had turned into; there was no other word she was able to imagine that fully summed up those chambers aside from an infinite game of cat and mouse. So, stairs? They in themselves held no profound meaning; they were stairs. It was the fear of what they led to that brought about uneasiness, unwillingness, in her.

Having ended up back at the side of the marked wall which housed her blue portal, the test subject sighed internally, leaning her shoulder that was not occupied by her bird against part of the wall which was not consumed by the loophole in time. She did not want to continue down those steps, as how would she progress if she did so? It was easy enough to avoid this test, but Chell knew that she wouldn't be so lucky in the next tests. After all, chronologically, the better will come before the worse. Shifting idly at a sound from her ASHPD, the test subject did not look to GlaDOS. Instead, she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. For an unknown reason, she refused to let herself release that breath; she held it within herself, feeling her face grow hot. It was extremely bizarre how this seemed to instill a ball of burning coal inside her lungs, a ball whose flames licked up her throat and seared her tongue. It would be so simple, so easy, to just cease breathing. Of course, that was a lie. Gasping, eyes snapping open, Chell sucked in the air she'd deprived herself of for too long without reason. This drew attention from the AI and Nadine, the former of whom flickered her aperture in either bewilderment or frustration, the latter of whom cooed soothingly into the test subject's ear with her tuneful chirrups.

Further resting her weight against her shoulder against the wall, Chell shook her head side to side slowly, both as a method of dismissing the situation as well as to clear her head from the murky fog which had settled over it, painful and obscuring. Each inhale burned yet soothed, enriched yet poisoned the woman with their promises of life; with each breath, life ensued, yet with each breath the approach to death quickened its pace. However, not here and not now. The breaths gradually became little more than light dances of air prancing to and fro inside her body, and returned to being an act of the subconscious rather than an outward priority. Chest rising and falling normally again, Chell stopped her shaking of her head, leaning it backward against the wall and letting out a light sigh. Her head ached, her lungs burned, but still she sucked in breath after breath, the oxygen essential to her life flowing through her veins. Her veins greedily accepted the element, delivering it to her heart and other parts of her body that required it swiftly and without waver.

"Have you recovered? It's rather alarming that you'd resort to trying to suffocate yourself."

At that, the test subject shot her gaze downward, blinking in what she hoped was an innocent fashion.

The computer chuckled, and Chell, resigned, turned her head away in favor of looking out into the distance where they had left the test behind. She could catch sight of blobs of repulsion gel hurtling downwards, blue globs that hit the floor with various sounds, making the surface passionate in its manner of launching test subjects feet into the air.

"I am fairly certain that it's impossible to forget how to **breathe**; that's a primitive body function that has existed for millions of years and isn't going away any time soon."

Huffing, Chell looked to the AI, reluctantly meeting her gaze. At the eye contact, GlaDOS swung her aperture to the left, causing Chell to snap her own pair of eyes that way as well. Not seeing anything other than her portal, the test subject realized with biting aggravation that it was just an action meant to break the eye contact, nothing more and nothing less. She bit the inside of her cheek, but continued to stare at her portal, for no particular reason. If anything, she had a hunch that the lack of a reaction would spur the computer to speak again.

"...Also. As _fun_ as suffocating yourself would be, you would not be able to relieve yourself of life by holding your breath. Your body has a natural reaction to get rid of poisonous gases out of your lungs and obtain oxygen; hence your desperate gasping. That reaction can be overcome, sometimes, but even so, once you pass out from the lack of oxygen and lose consciousness and therefore control of your body, your body would resume breathing again of its own accord."

_How did you know I was thinking of doing that?_

Astonished, and suspicious, Chell resorted to biting down harder on her cheek, the metallic taste of blood speckling across her tongue, filling her mouth with the taste of death. It was repulsive, but she swallowed anyway, shuddering at the sensation of the thick substance sliding down her throat. The test subject turned her head, her hair making soft noises as it was brushed against the wall. This movement elicited interest from Nadine, who hopped closer to Chell's neck, pecking delicately at the strands of hair that lay upon her shoulder. Almost apathetically, Chell gave her shoulder a sharp jerk, annoyed at the pain that followed after each tug of hair. Nadine stumbled, but did not cry out; she silently returned to the human's neck, which she snuggled in on while she observed the potato whom her human was currently watching intently. Her amber eyes, forever unblinking, would have narrowed in disdain if they could, if an animal was not forever redeemed to being less worthy and less expressive than the of-so-mighty homosapien.

The AI being regarded with two sets of eyes ignored the stares of the avian, but eventually did lift her gaze to Chell's face once more. There, her aperture grazed over the surface of the woman's face, the woman in question still and unmoving; waiting. Chell didn't even fidget her fingers inside the grip of the ASHPD, stubbornly remaining static as she awaited the response, the taunt, the insult..whatever the case would be. It was slightly amusing; would she have bothered just a couple hours ago, when she and her tormentor had been hurled into the depths of hell together? Likely, no. Now though, every small phrase had become of great multitude. After all, aside from the moans of a dying world and Nadine's chirps, what other sound was there other than GlaDOS' voice?

_There's no way that I care about anything about you, other than what you insight you might have to benefit this journey..so if you have something to say, say it now._

Chell was only benefited by the pieces of advice or direction the computer happened to drop in crumbs around the insults she was so very fond of bestowing upon the test subject. Other parts and pieces of the dialogue were technically irrelevant and useless. Still, part of her felt withered after that thought had passed, as if the thought had been a violent storm that ripped the flowers off of the roses planted in the garden that was her heart, leaving only harsh stems riddled with thorns. Though roses had thorns eternally, what was a rose without the red blossom reaching towards the heavens, its velvety petals soft enough to ease the pain caused by a prick of its pernicious thorns that were curved like fangs? Her soul's thin skin now weeping droplets of blood forced her to reconsider her thoughts, and only when she had admitted within herself that she had fallen to an insufferable level of indifference that was intolerable did that skin seam itself back together again. There was no way to take that thought back, but would the regret that she felt towards thinking such a thing appease the offense? Barely a breath after-wards GlaDOS spoke, her voice cool, level.

"I'm afraid that prolonged exposure to maniacal test subjects leads to speculations, mainly speculations involving maniacal test subjects."

Turning her aperture, morphing it into a half moon that stuck to the left side of her optic, she formed the expression that was necessary to draw a question out from within her weakened self and paint it upon a canvas on which Chell could see.

"So tell me, maniacal test subject..have some of my speculations been correct?"

At that the woman scowled, twisting her head away from the offending machine and leaning even more of herself on the strangely-marked wall. In response, a minute of silence seeped in, filling the air with prickled awkwardness. Then, a mechanical chuckle, the likes of which earned a subtle glance out of Chell's eye, her face flushing faintly.

"I thought as much! Now, Tooma, perhaps you should stop resting your mass here upon that innocent wall, whom certainly does not deserve that massive weight you're so keen on lending elsewhere besides offending areas that **do **deserve as much, and proceed to where we saw the steps earlier?"

Chell blinked, flicked her gaze to the side of her shoulder and catching Nadine's attention. Nadine looked to her, then to GlaDOS, appeared to be pondering although it was absurd that a bird would be capable of such an action, before neutrally ruffling her feathers and hiding her face against the skin of the woman of whom she had made her adored perch. Left to determine the outcome of the decision herself, Chell looked to GlaDOS once more, scrunched her nose up in abhorrence, and shook her head in an obvious 'no'. Immediately affronted, the AI buzzed irately, her optic flaring a harsh yellow.

"What do you mean, 'no'? Do you see another option? I'll go ahead and answer that for you: No, you don't. Do you know why? There _is_ no other option."

Raising an eyebrow in meager scrutiny, the woman fitted her visage with a look of impassiveness. There was always more than a single option, though others were more preferable than their partners, of course; testing was not desirable in the slightest, so therefore it was time to ascertain another option. Chell attempted to convey this by snapping her eyes from side to side frantically, holding her breath with suspense until she let it out at intervals in gasps of mock excitement. Those brief glances yielded her no profit of her additional options, and they did certainly not relay the message to the computer quite well; GlaDOS almost appeared to bristle, her aperture constricting to a small dot, vibrant amber.

"As you saw on the diagram earlier, these test shafts are composed **only** of testing spheres; there's no other way to advance upwards in them other than to solve the tests!"

Anger pinching her calamity, Chell tensed, shaking her head in a stubborn demonstration.

_No, that's just not possible. Your beloved occupation of monitoring tests from your private chamber has left you with a limited field of conjecture, computer. _

Unable to voice this, the woman settled for smirking mirthfully at the supercomputer, fully placing the whole of her back on the section of the wall unoccupied by the portal. She was scarcely able to fit herself into the small space left, into the small space that the greedy loophole had not devoured, but her slender frame gained from both the lack of proper nourishment and rigorous exercise attained through testing aided in her quandary. The position actually felt rather nice, and she pulled her back muscles up to stretch out the knots in her back. Nadine peeped quietly with interest as Chell stretched her height, fluttering her own wing in a try at mimicry.

"You are..a **sack** of lazy bones."

GlaDOS accosted, her sour tone massively disapproving and impatient. Still stretching, the test subject openly yawned, then shook her head once again. This was met with a hostile hiss of static, which effectively caused Chell to jump, startled. The sudden movement, abrupt and without warning, resulted in her feet slipping, and she tumbled to the floor with a yelp, her head slamming hard enough against the wall that stars shone in her vision. Her head cried out in pain, the abuse abolishing its resolve completely. Nadine had tumbled off her shoulder onto the floor, the ASHPD and GlaDOS lay in her lap, and Chell's wounded leg wailed in pure and undying agony. There was a low creaking noise, a startling sound that warned of impeding doom.

In the next second, the ring of blue that had circled in orbit on the surface of the wall fizzled out of life, its particles rushing outwards to tickle the back of Chell's arms. Pulling herself away from the unexpected touch, a sudden strong force shoved against her back, knocking her forward so powerfully that her breath was struck out of her with all the precision of a sharp knife slicing thorough butter. She was barely able to manage scooping Nadine into the crook of her elbow before she fell into a full-out slide, the ASHPD rolling out of her grip and passing her. It headed with several sharp sounds, _**thunk**_ _**clink thunk**_, towards the end of the catwalk which lacked railings that reached all the way to the metal floor. The woman gasped, grabbing for the device with one hand as it slid, her other curled protectively around the lamenting bird. Her fingers skimmed over its surface, sleek and arguably perfect, before it fled from her and sought the relief of vaporization in the corrosive acid that swirled happily underneath the metal-grated walk, the patience of the fatal liquid finally rewarded. Overwhelming fear took hold, and Chell dug the fingers of her hand into the spaces of the walk to stop her own self from plummeting to the death that lay in waves below. Then, for what ever godly reason, one of the spikes of the ASHPD suddenly caught in a space of metal itself, much like Chell's fingers, and came to a rugged stop, rocking side to side.

Unable to think, unable to process the relief she was flooded over with, Chell let out something between a gasp and a cry, scrambling to the gun despite her pain and snatching it with her hand. GlaDOS' optic was wide and trembling, locked onto the face of her test subject. With haste, Chell pulled herself to a sitting position, pulling Nadine into her lap, her arm still wrapped around her protectively. She also had the ASHPD gripped securely in her grip, yet it shuddered as her arm trembled in terror. The close call had an immediate effect; Chell set the ASHPD with the shocked GlaDOS on her lap as well, then fastened both arms around herself, hunching forward. Her eyes wide, breath rushed, and ears ringing, the test subject lurched her head up and over her shoulder at the dreary, moaning sound of an opening into hell being ridden of its nuisance of steel bars.

_**Grrreeeeeeeeeeee...**_

It started as a growl, a hideous snarl that broke Chell into goosebumps. Nadine had buried her face into the woman's lap, in fear. GlaDOS, on the other hand, was staring exactly where Chell found herself staring now; eyes and optic unbelieving in what they took in. The wall with the strange marking, the wall Chell had been leaning upon, the wall upon which the blue portal had weaved its way in between the threads of reality with the ease of the push of a small trigger, the wall where the movement behind said wall had suddenly altered the position in time and existence where the portal lay, causing a looping paradox that the portal choose to retreat from rather than forgo; it vanished. Now that wall was slowly, _tauntingly_, easing itself open as it swung backwards, each inch it gained urging a mournful cry from within. Stunned, Chell could only watch as that symbol, that **painted **symbol, started to glow a fierce orange, a gap of black appearing from inside, and growing, as the wall pulled itself deeper and deeper into its once-secret recess. It was when the wall was more than half of the way inside that it truly began to scream, a fit of hatred and strife at being awakened springing forth accusingly at the trio that sat locked in fear on the catwalk.

_**EeeeEEEEEE**_

Wincing at the brash cries, but forcing herself to keep her eyes open lest she miss a single instant, the woman witnessed the wall, in actuality more of a door, finally slam onto the wall of its concealment. The cries faded with the symbol, the orange draining from the symbol as quickly as it had commended the symbol with itself. Without the orange glow, the opening which had been revealed remained unlit, hollow and secretive. Shakily and with much difficulty, Chell pulled herself to her feet, clutching her bird in the palm of hand and the ASHPD in the grip of the other. It seemed Nadine had fallen on her injured wing like Chell had landed partially on her wounded leg; it was stiff and the animal was nuzzling it meekly, chirping mournfully. Comfortingly, the test subject brushed a finger over her head, drawing out the shining of her green splotches, and glanced to GlaDOS, taking in her condition. Ironically, the potato was fine; it wasn't even scathed. As for the AI herself, though, she was thoroughly rattled, optic wide and voice silent.

_What..the** hell**..._

Holding Nadine to her chest, reassuringly tapping on the surface of the ASHPD with a finger, Chell squinted to peer into the darkness, uneasiness replace by a child-like curiosity. Staring forward, the darkness which haunted her fears suddenly opened itself to her, smiling crudely, inviting. She lifted her hand to allow Nadine to hop onto her shoulder, which the bird did swiftly and returned to her perch aside the woman's sweaty neck. That hand now freed, Chell gripped the ASHPD underneath the barrel with it, slipping her other into the grip chamber and hovering over a small, circular button. Her computer partner stationed on the top of the gun seemed to return to herself once the woman had the gun back in its normal grip; she frantically started to speak with a rushed tone:

"Okay, I do not know why all of a sudden the walls have decided to do a time-skip into the future and copy the brilliance of my modern panels, but I don't like it; I almost **died**..again. For a second time, and not by your hands! You should be prideful of your restraint of murderousness, yet fearful of the increase of hostility in walls."

Nodding idly, Chell rubbed the button with the pad of her finger, biting her lip and taking a small step towards the vast emptiness which the secret door had hidden and contained.

"It was a chance of a probability that stopped the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device from tumbling off this catwalk which you're standing on. Absurd luck!"

The computer was astonished, still perturbed, by her near hit-and-run with death..although this time it would have been permanent; her organic form would have been dissolved by the hungry acid, and her sole potential rescuer would only be able to look on, helpless. It was precisely that knowledge, those terrifying facts, that incited the AI's discomfort. It was also true that Chell was affected as well; the loss of both her ASHPD and her computer companion would have been a massive blow that she was certain she could not survive, a gaping wound that would bleed and bleed until her body ran dry. The save was a blessing, a blessing that was wholly accepted as a miracle brought on by unknown forces. Having the threat of her prized gun snatched away by the hungry liquid that dared to behave like water, Chell looked directly ahead, into the darkness. Catching notice, the AI shot her aperture up, attempting to get a decent view.

"I can't see anything..not that it's any surprise."

GlaDOS muttered, clicking softly.

_Neither can I. However!_

Strengthening her resolve, the test subject jammed her finger on the button, activating and sending the portal hurtling into the unknown void. The particles did not provide even a glance as they passed; they went at the speed of light, after all. If the portal had stuck, surely the glow would have illuminated the area at least partially. However, the portal didn't even pop into reality; it hit a wall with a loud _**Spack!**_, the tell-tale sign of a non-portal surface. But oh, how the world suffices its misfortunes with ironic fortunes! Rhythmically, flickers of light began to shine down from the ceiling inside the concealed area, faint whirrs composing an orchestra. Blinking in surprise, Chell took another step forward, gasping in pain when she realized she'd taken it with her wounded leg and hurriedly applying the weight to her able one. At that gasp the lights seemed to react, bursting into life with vibrant and artificial readiness. Gaping in surprise, Chell shut her eyes at the intrusion, then shot them open again, staring at the now-lit _passage_.

It was indeed a passage; the floors were neatly tiled with pristine whiteness and led deep into within. The walls inside were also white and gleamed in the (also white) light that bathed them. These walls, although they were not portal surfaces, were not made of metal, yet it was beyond Chell what their compositions might be. Standing, peering into the corridor, it struck Chell that this was what Aperture was, not the majestic waiting rooms with chairs of plush and walls of polished wood; Aperture was white. Immediately, this brought about a wave of suspicion in the test subject, and a wave of bliss inside GlaDOS. The computer was eying the passage with evident interest, the buzzing of her optic zooming in clear and easy to hear. Whistles of working fans rivaled the noise of her buzzing, the whistles themselves nearly melodic. A fresh scent flowed out of the open corridor, playing underneath Chell's nose. There was no smell of decay or dust; just pure perfection.

_If Science had a color, a scent, a sound..all three radiate from this esoteric hall._

The other option Chell had been waiting to arrive had now done so, in a chariot fit for a synthetic queen. Fit for this chariot, GlaDOS was jerking her optic up and down, gesturing for the test subject to advance ahead into its arms, her near-death experience brought about by the way that hid the hall forgotten. Nadine was fascinated as well, cocking her head to the side in between adjusting the ruffled feathers of her hurt wing. The cool hallway was inviting, and of greater promise than anything they had come across before; so why didn't Chell desire to follow it? She didn't take her steps back, but she did not put any more ahead, either. Something was horribly dreadful, terribly virulent about it. She could not place her reasoning for this sensing, though she had an inkling it might do with her vehement experiences in similar places that were swabbed with the senses of Science. Standing in a stalemate deep within herself, realizing that such a stalemate would only prevent progress, Chell finally gave in and allowed herself to be dragged along with the current that had pulled her along its ferocious course for eternity, and that planned to continue doing as much. As she limped, wincing at even the easiest touch of her left foot to the ground, not yet into the corridor. Despite this, the corridor's monolithic breeze had pushed the hair out of her face and swept the sweat away. When her boot met the white floor, its heel spring did not click, but instead remained silent. A couple steps inside, and the silence of the boots was proven to be, now, a normalcy.

The familiar atmosphere truly was remarkable in the way in which it changed the moods of the trio. GlaDOS was alert, energetic almost. Nadine was trying to take in everything at once, when all to take in was several feet of blank whiteness. Chell, the test subject, had drawn her lips into a thin line, welcoming the comfort of air conditioning but resenting the way her reflection shone in the walls and floor and ceiling, the way this terribly reminded her of the trials of testing. Her eyes didn't glimmer, and her heart beat slowly, cautiously as if a beat performed too fast could mean instant persecution.

_I wonder..would it have been better if the entrance had remained closed?_

Noting that the corridor curved to the right instead of continuing straight, Chell followed the curve, accidentally brushing her shoulder against the wall. It was smooth and cool: like plastic. She suppressed a shiver, coming to another curve, then another, then another: a labyrinth. It was was if went on forever, turns blending into one another like smears on a painter's canvas. Yet, the desire to bolt back to the catwalk had evaporated as soon as she'd entered the passage; Science had its grip around her shoulders once more. However, at each new turn a fresh stab of anxiety would arise, and the test subject would glance down at GlaDOS in uncertainty. Each and every time the AI would bob her optic in a nod, and the woman would continue with a tumult trying to claw its way out of her ribcage. Soon, the smears covered the entire canvas, and the painter had finally ran out of paint. Twisting her way around another turn, Chell though:

_So this is it. Twisting and turning in a never-ending maze, without even the solace of hearing my own steps against the floor._

Fastening her gaze to the floor and then closing her eyes, she took a deep inhale of the purified air, her thoughts swimming as her brain was supplied with the generous helping of oxygen. Abruptly, her chest bumped into something solid, and she shot her eyes open. There in front of her loomed a door, large, sturdy, and intimidating. It was also black. In disbelief, the woman set her hand upon it, caressing it and finding it equally as smooth as the walls. Still, it stood out in such relieving contrast from the rest of the labyrinth that Chell just knew this was her relief from the labyrinth she had been following, a release. With a half smile, she laid her forehead on the cool surface, sighing softly.

_Such an emotion from seeing this color, I just had. Will I ever be able to describe such an emotion?_

Pulling her forehead away, instead looking first to her bird who chirped happily despite her ruined wing, then to GlaDOS whose calm gaze seemed to speak 'I told you so, aren't you glad you trusted me?', the test subject was filled with gratitude. It was then that her gaze drifted from GlaDOS and locked onto a device impeded into the door, to the left of an elegant silver handle curved into the shape of a bird's wing. Two lights above a plate that had the ability to flip up, a red one and a green one that opposed. The green light was lit. Heart thumping increasingly madly, Chell slowly lifted the plate upwards and revealed a number pad, numbering from 0 to 9. With care, she gently pressed a '0', the screen lighting up as it was activated. Smirking, the test subject brought her gaze back to GlaDOS, gestured with a movement of her head to the number pad. GlaDOS directed her optic to it, which lit up in a light gold once she'd recognized the object. A number pad, the same device that had closed off such a number of paths for the trio from the start. The opposite was true this time, however. On this particular moment, such as how at some point in each year the moon overtakes the sun, the usual order of sequence was flipped on its side, spinning like a spinning top while onlookers delighted in their good luck. This number pad, now activated, became less of an obstruction and more of a key. Dropping her hand, Chell slid it into the pocket near her waist, feeling for and finding a slip of worn paper. Quietly grasping the slip between two fingers, she withdrew it into the open, where the amount of age was even more obvious in the harsh, artificial light. Carefully, she peeled the slip open, scanning the numbers which she had already memorized earlier, yet longed to read again if only to reassure herself that they did exist.

_**49371073**_

Eight little numbers, eight little changers of fate. They skirted nimbly about in her mind, before her eyes; she let them. The ink which these characters had been printed with hadn't as much as smudged, and so there was simply no mistaking which ones were what. Darting her gaze to Nadine and smiling widely, she flapped the slip gently in the air. That bird seemed to sit up straighter, her chest puffed outwards in pride. Then, with much grandeur, Chell put her fingers to the pad.

**4**

The key was pressed, and an automatic beep called out in acknowledgment.

**9**

The second number was pressed, appearing on the little screen after the woman's finger had lifted off the button labeled with the number, number nine.

**3**

And the third. Was it a coincidence that the third number was a three? Or was it intentional?

**7**

Seven, the lucky number found its place as the fourth one of the placement. The question was, would seven be of true benefit in the manner of its luck today, to a woman and her unlikely partners?

**1**

Certainly, it was a possibility that this was not a code at all.

**0**

Much like the number zero, it could mean nothing. It could just be a slip of random characters created on a whim.

**7**

Another seven, for luck. Luck was needed, and oh-so desired, here and at this minute.

**3**

Hope. All that existed was hope and blind faith that possessed a blind person to dance on the edges of cliffs, to taunt death in true defiance of their disability. Hope was encouragement. Hope was deceiving. Hope wouldn't dare betray you. Somehow it would find an indirect way to betray you, defining it as a contradiction. Hope was death, but hope was life. Hope was all that existed once you got down to the bare shreds of reality.

_**Enter**_

Hope compressed into a sole word. Chell held her breath, her hope, in as the small rectangular screen displayed '_processing_' across its yellow surface, the woman subconsciously placing her free hand back onto the ASHPD and gripping onto the spike which held Aperture's queen. The queen was silent. An insufferable second passed, an advancement of the hand of a clock that sent actuality flying when the hand finally ticked away a second dead and gone. The screen's suddenly flashed a bright green, which blinked several times in succession, getting faster each time it did so. Then, there was a loud _whoosh! _As the airlocks on the ebony door opened in cunning clicks, air flooded out from inside out of the door's crevices. Stumbling backwards in surprise, Chell brought an arm over her face to shield it from the blast. The air billowed around her, whistling, singing, humming, greeting; it pushed into the labyrinth and coursed down the winding hallway, morphing the entire labyrinth into an instrument that delighted in its mastery of the harmonics of sound. Cautiously pulling the arm away from her face, the test subject's face broke out into a mad grin as the black being in front of her gave out another loud beep, victorious. On the petite green screen scrolled the words:

_**Passcode accepted. You are now authorized to access the Aperture Science Innovators Quantum Project Employee Monitoring Addendum: c0d3 nm3 Masquerade. Welcome, Aperture Science Innovator Employee #456. **_

_Employee number 456? If that's the identity I must become..then so be it!_

Nearly screaming with emotion inside herself, the test subject reached for the silver handle of the door, wrapping her fingers around it firmly and feeling for the latch. She brushed over the grooves of the handle's synthetic plumes, finally finding the latch and pressing it down, hard. Immediately the door's tension relaxed, and Chell was given full control. The mere act of being handed power, of being bestowed with godliness, sent tremors of exhilaration so great through the woman that she slammed that void of a door forward, and would have crashed it into the wall had a door stopper not halted it with impressive ability. Unlike everything else that had received Chell's reckless treatment, the stopper did not even produce a sound, much less complain. Complaints would not do, for they do not produce or yield outcomes other than those of negativity.

Chell stepped through the door, her eyes widening and darting from side to side as her surroundings suddenly became clear, and engulfed her with their extreme stupefaction; she was in a foyer, white carpet spread underneath her feet and circling the entire room. Inside this foyer, directly in the center, sat what had to be the oldest functioning television in existence. Rather than static cluttering its screen as would have been expected, the device displayed the old Aperture logo, complete with moving electrons and the company's name itself in flashing letters. Sitting atop that television were stacks and stacks of papers, their surfaces still an untouched white. Chell made her way over to the television, which nearly rivaled her in height, and definitely rivaled her in width. In mild curiosity, she took her thumb and brushed it through the papers, finding them all blank, broken promises of splendid tales. Unfazed, though, she turned her attention to the television, struggling backward a step to look at its screen again. It still displayed the same image. Nadine chirped in awe, trying to vain to move her head in rhythm with the swirling electrons. Having only seen a television once before, in her relaxation chamber from the precise start of this new venture, Chell reached out hesitantly, placing her fingers on the sleek screen. The texture amazed her; she ran her fingertips along it as she surveyed the rest of the room. Her companions did the same, the bird chattering in excitement and GlaDOS surveying in such a manner that radiated snide satisfaction and restrained curiosity.

Four black couches that looked like they were about to burst with stuffing encircled the foyer, the only furniture present. That was extremely strange; there wasn't even a table. Though, considering that this area was likely simply a prerequisite to whatever lay ahead, maybe it wasn't so extremely strange at all. Piles of books rested beside each couch. Not surprisingly, they all had something or another to do with old scientific events of the past, examined current trends in Science, or were science-fiction novels. The walls themselves were adorned with awards, and the bounty of them was far more plentiful than back in the welcoming lobby of Aperture Innovators. Not a glimpse of the true wall was visible, the prideful countenances of high honors being the only wallpaper suitable for Aperture's noble walls. Other than that, the area was empty; it was just a welcoming area designed to appear fancifully embracing. However, five hallways branched out of it: The one Chell had entered from, one directly in front of her, two to the left, and a sole one going right. Peering down each hallway as far as she could as she did so, the woman made her way over to a black sofa, located a few paces back near where she came and was situated to the right of the room. Straining downwards and dropping a hand from the ASHPD to grasp the corner of a paperback novel, Chell purposely brushed her arm on the sofa's cushion, finding it incredibly soft, comparable to a cloud, albeit a cloud of soot.

"What are you doing? That literature is extremely juvenile."

GlaDOS huffed in disgust, narrowing her optic in disagreement.

"When would you ever have the free time to read, anyways?"

Finally getting a hold on the book and struggling back upright, Chell tapped the book on the side of her hip, shrugged indifferently to the computer, then brought it up to her face to examine. GlaDOS' reaction was to rapidly click over and over, her undying frustration deadly obvious. Still, what was a couple of seconds to observe a book? Those seconds wouldn't hurt anybody. So, the woman did indeed observe. The cover was of a solid color, lavender, likely to conceal any hints as to the book's content. Clever. The title scripted in golden cursive scripture read as Pulses of a Dead Heart , prompting both intrigue and a sense of apprehensiveness. Pondering while she held onto the novel, Chell again looked down each of the passages, aside from the one she'd entered from; that led to testing and there was not a doubt in her mind that she'd prefer whatever horrors these halls had to throw at her rather than undergo that activity. However, was there any assurance that any, or all, of those four other halls didn't lead to test chambers as well? After all, this could just be a part of the test, another stage set to put the subject at ease so when they were tossed into another violent tide of quantum loopholes, their state of relax would be their end. Looking at the book with sudden distrust, the woman tightened her one-handed grip, feeling the pages and cover bend obediently.

_Though, if that was the case..why hide this behind a wall, why make it so complicated to get here, why have a door that requires a complex number key, and why secrete a slip of paper with that code shrewdly inside a telephone dial? Why have a message that welcomed me: 'Employee 456' into the Aperture Science Innovators Quantum Project Employee Monitoring Addendum: c0d3 nm3 Masquerade? This seems too secretive, too protected, to be anything other than a well-hidden section sealed off for employees. _

Her distrust bubbled away, floating softly upon the air higher and higher until contact with other physical objects or the pressure of gravity itself set to popping them effortlessly. Desiring to peek inside the book, yet desiring far more to reach the modern facility, Chell tucked the book between her body and her jumpsuit, the 'holster' she'd previously carried the ASHPD around in. Although she obviously didn't approve of the test subject's smuggling of the novel, GlaDOS seemed quite relieved with the occupation of the holster; that meant the portal gun and subsequently her herself would not be shoved between the woman's sweaty body and a stained free of all burdens but the ASHPD, which was really not so much a burden as a fair contribution, the test subject limped ahead, skirting around the large television and stopping in what she considered to be the 'junction' where one would decide which of the five hallways they wished to travel through. Caught in a decision shaped as a pentagon, each of the four sides equally cryptic, equally enigmatic.

None of them sang, made a noise. Not one offered an appeal to the test subject. They held little interest in the woman who had ventured into their void, set foot from the darkness into a new darkness that had been hidden for so long behind a mundane slice of wall. This darkness, however, did not rip and tear at the human, nor did it build upon her consciousness until she was reduced to a screaming wreck. The bright lights shone down calmly, their intense whiteness obscuring the bleak blackness that would otherwise consume the ancient foyer and the hallways beyond. Patiently, the foyer waited, watching without interest, but having nothing else to occupy that absurd relative of insanity called 'time'. Chell had examined each of the five at least three times over, each. She had no basis, no sense of positives or negatives, to choose her path on. So instead, as an alternate manner of decision, she consulted the most massive collection of wisdom to ever exist on Earth. Holding the ASHPD slightly lower than her chin, Chell made sure that GlaDOS' view was directed to all five of the hallways. Then, she purposely grilled out a strained, unsure noise in the back of her throat. It sounded more of a mournful croak than what she intended, though.

The AI visibly 'flinching' her optic, GlaDOS stared at Chell, then jerked her yellow aperture to the right, vibrating on the spike of the ASHPD.

"Take the right. Those to the left, likely, go somewhere closer to all the test chambers. The paths going straight ahead probably lead to some sort of complex resembling a mass control center, given that such a complex would be placed central of its domain. As for the hallway veering off to the right, however, it's possible that it leads around all those components and is used simply as a transportation method."

Contemplating that, the woman cocked her head thoughtfully. Logically, it made sense, of course. However..there was still that pinprick of doubt that drew the tiniest droplet of blood from Chell's rationale, altering her perception of her reasoning as the metallic scent drifted. Although, with the lack of available seconds to spend mulling over this contradiction, Chell righted her head, and nodded. With a bird peeping excitedly in her ear, a former or possibly still current enemy literally at hand, the test subject set foot into that hallway. Her boots met the same tile as before, the tile that had stolen the sound of her steps. The hallway curved sharply right, then led straight for an unmeasurable distance, putting vast distant between the trio and the taciturn foyer. As she walked, Chell focused straight ahead, tenacity propelling her ahead, roughening the ocean in her eyes and setting it into fits of clashing waves that crashed mercilessly upon the shore. She didn't pay attention to any mounting uneasiness of her own self, nor her companions. She did not notice that as she walked farther and farther away from the foyer, the tile returned the statuesque clicks that accented the heel springs of a pair of physics-altering boots to each of her footfalls.

* * *

><p>This hallway was no where near as never-ending as its precursor. In what could be measured as a time of five unoffensive minutes, the test subject and her pair of partners had reached another door, black and gleaming. Before the woman could reach down into her pocket to retrieve the slip of paper with the code, the door eased open of its own accord, her surprised reflection staring with wide eyes and a slack jaw through the black mirror. Soon, though, she regained herself and shoved a palm hard against the black door, both to speed up its opening and hide the sight of herself in a swift motion. Happy to oblige, the door swung backwards, hitting the wall with a painful slam. Lights flickered to life to reveal a wooden-paved floor, and an expanding corridor covered by an elegant arch carved into the forms of beautiful beings adorned in robes, wreaths upon their heads and strands of ivy growing around their arms and joining them all in that thriving vine of ivy. Above that arch, the phrase: <em><strong>'Veni, Vidi, Vici.' <strong>_stretched across, the letters a startling bronze which contrasted the blank white.

_What strange words..those can't possibly be English?_

"Latin."

GlaDOS said simply, observing the phrase a while longer before setting her gaze on Chell once more. She didn't elaborate on what it translated, instead seemed to be harboring the meaning inside herself for amusement's sake; how better to irritate your best test subject than hide a juicy piece of knowledge from them? There** were** certainly better ways. Indifferent, Chell set herself in motion, walking underneath the arch into the corridor. Immediately, she noticed a change in atmosphere. The floor remained the grand wood, though it was noticeably old, noticeably defeated. It didn't shine like the rest of Aperture Innovators. The wood was a dark brown dotted with black wear, a plague upon the wood that spread across and ahead angrily, robbing the brilliance. Like the walls they had encountered previously, this corridor's walls were white as well. However, the white paint was peeling off in scores, revealing brash concrete. Instead of proud white light bestowing their radiance, single bulbs hanging by threads of wires hung from the ceiling, no synthetic splendor present. These light bulbs swung indistinctly from their perilous holds, disturbed by the intrusion of the test subject. Looking up, following their wires, Chell grunted as the light burned into her eyes, finally requiring her to divert her gaze by turning her head to the side.

_How dreadful..there's really no other word for this change. What happened here?_

Creasing her eyebrows, Chell rotated her shoulder, brief relief found in finding Nadine's grip ever strong and ever assertive. Then, lifting the portal gun so she could examine the expression withheld inside that amber optic, that expression one of disgust, which was entirely reasonable. Lowering the device, she stared ahead, shuddering when she realized that, after a few more steps forward, the bulbs no longer illuminated the hall of atrophy. This relic of the past was unpleasant, and for the first time, Chell wondered if this was the true face of this underground world; if what she had encountered before was that of a well-placed facade. However, she pressed ahead, until she had reached the darkness. Even then she continued, purposely pressing and holding one of the portal buttons so the light on top of the ASHPD glowed a vibrant orange, stuck between firing and restraining its physics-altering offspring. The light allowed her to see a couple inches in front of herself, which was all she needed. Fighting through the darkness which had been hiding all along, her boots clicking against the rotten wooden floor steadily, Chell approached whatever blocked her passage to modern Aperture, to Wheatley's rescue, to her own dreamed release. Given the circumstances, it truly was a wonder they'd even made it this far. Circumstances, funny things: Constantly shifting, essentially moving shadows. Chell's own shadow was absent, lost where the weak bulbs flickered meekly. There, in that particular circumstance, it lurked, a part of the woman abandoned. Patiently, her shadow awaited the moment when it was needed again, to be an everlasting reminder that she did exist, and did take up space in this world. It didn't matter how much space; size was not a factor in the equation of oracle. Instead, worth was measured depending on fate. Fate was pretty twisted indeed.

_Something's not right, not normal. Somehow, I feel as if this is a last, desperate warning: go back. However, I don't have anything to go back **to**_; _I can only advance and withstand. _

Her thoughts brewing, Chell bit her lip, running the tongue across the backs of her teeth like a slippery serpent. That serpent was suddenly clamped down upon by rows of teeth. Chell mentally yelped at the pain this infliction, pulling her tongue away from her teeth in a flee. An automatic door had whisked open, startling the woman. What had been most startling about it was that the door was to her left, not in front of her as would have been expected. The room it led to was lit, and so with great eagerness the test subject entered. After she had passed into the room and the automatic door had closed, the light bulbs in the beginning of the hallway pervading deploring paled, fading back into death with a sigh as the outsiders left them free of the burden of enduring the trouble of life. Once again, after Chell had started her walk inside the door, the sounds of her foot steps were stolen, silencing evidence of the only living being inside the deserted, concealed hallways of the innovative form of the crazed Enrichment Center.

* * *

><p>What one treasures is what one must protect, what one must hide. Aperture had obviously taken that to mind when they designed these elaborate hallways that twisted and curved, and contained multiple doors that made it seem as if the destination was impossible to reach. Now, though, Chell had reached what she could only believe to be that 'destination'. After she'd entered through the automatic door, she had emerged inside a small observation office. The sterility had returned, the drab yellow walls she had seen in past observation offices replaced by polished white again. The floor was also tile, black, and there was a mahogany table standing in front of a plush chair. The office overlooked the <strong>entire <strong>test she had just seen; it didn't offer a small, limited view like the one she'd found the door code in. No, the building containing this observation office was raised several hundred feet, offering a look actually **inside **the test. Of course, the entire expanse of the sphere itself was visible, too. In fact, Chell discovered when she turned around, both the front and back walls had large windows that enabled the viewer inside the office to see the entire sphere, the front and the rear, simply by looking to the corresponding windows and turning their heads in various ways. Chell approached the front window, glancing downwards. With a shocked widening of her eyes, her stare only met solid wall; she couldn't see anything other than the test. Stumbling backwards and then breaking into a scurry, she accomplished earning a complaint from GlaDOS.

"Gah, stop waddling around, you wounded animal. You're going to further injure yourself and- I don't see why I bother. You're obviously not listening to me."

Chell was preoccupied looking out the back window, finding that, again, her view was blocked to everything other than the test, not anything more.

"Well, it appears that my reasoning was a bit off; we're still relatively close to where we had just came from. Still, taking this EMW will be easier on you and your unfortunate affliction, at the ultimate least."

_Of course it will, although it is a bit concerning that you were **wrong **and you admitted it.._

Casting an imploring smirk down at the supercomputer, Chell jerked her head to the window, shaking it in a mock disappointed gesture. The computer sighed, her tone thoughtful.

"The floor plans of this place must have been a field day to design. This is the equivalent of a rat maze, which is perfect for you Miss Lab rat."

When Chell's smirk dropped into a scowl, she chuckled.

"Just kidding. Still though, you have to admit that a blueprint of this place would be a substantial benefit to our cause."

Turning her attention back out the window, Chell breathed on the glass, turning its surface foggy. She absently nodded, lines crossing her face as she thought. GlaDOS noticed this.

"You know, I wonder if you're thinking the same thing I am."

The test subject peered at her from the corner of her eye, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh, obviously not in the same process of cognitive thinking, mind you. I'm sure your deteriorated mind could not even comprehend the majority of my vocabulary."

Huffing, the woman turned her head away, getting closer to the window and tried again to look somewhere, anywhere, aside from the testing area. No luck.

"Anyway, this is what I've observed: This observation office has been constructed in such a way that all viewing angles of this testing sphere are able to be gained by a change in posture, or perception. It is a place of observation for the whole test. You can see the entire front half through the front window there, and the rear is visible out the back one."

_Yeah, impressive._

Rolling her eyes, the human shot the AI an expression that broadcast 'Obviously. What else do you have to share? Hard Light Bridges are blue?'. Undeterred, GlaDOS continued slowly, choosing her words carefully as to offer the test subject the easiest possibly way of understanding.

"You would think such a structure would be easily noticed."

Breath faltering in realization, the test subject gradually backed away from the window, each step backward altering the view she conceived through it.

_But we didn't see it. _

While they had been solving, or rather avoiding solving, the test, it stood to reason that such a building containing such an office would have been obvious; a towering structure that was high enough to provide a complete view of the total Enrichment Sphere would have been hard not to have seen. After all, a predator breathing through clenched, bloody teeth on their prey's neck was bound to alert the prey at some point. So, why hadn't Chell, the likes of which was always attentive due to it being essential to her survival during tests and Aperture as a whole, and GlaDOS, the extremely intelligent AI that still remained remarkably intellectual while trapped in a potato, noticed this erected office of observation? A ruffling of feathers reminded Chell of yet another candidate, always watchful and curious Nadine. Reaching her left arm over, she stroked the bird under the chin, allowing Nadine's pleased coos to become a backdrop for her pondering.

_So, this place isn't visible from the test. It's obviously not too far from the test: it's just quite high. We got here through a series of complex passages, and we passed through pass-coded doors and a foyer obviously designed as some sort of waiting area, perhaps, for employees. _

Craning her neck backwards, Chell looked out of the front window again, experimentally twisting and tilting her head at certain angles. She was able to manipulate her field of vision, eventually, to see the entire front section of the sphere; the total expanse. How alien. As she was tilting her head, a small lever attached to the side of the window caught her attention; it was small, a faded red, and she hadn't known it was there. Although there was a small thought in the back of her mind demanding caution, she ignored it and grasped the lever in her palm. It wouldn't go straight down. After a second of experimentation, Chell pressed the level in, grinning when there was a tell-tale _click_. She yanked it downwards, and the click sounded again, louder. Abruptly, the windows appeared to shimmer, the glass dancing nimbly. Then the room was lit far brighter than previously, dust particles able to be seen whirling in the air. Each of the trio caught the change, the shift in their expressions being a sure indication. Chell pushed the lever in again, and moved it back into its 'up' position. Shimmering again, the glass morphed as it danced, and the light inside the office became subdued. When it was yanked down again, the light returned.

_How interesting._

Examining the window's surface, Chell set her hand on the glass, spanning out her fingers. It certainly felt like the average glass, but how was it that it had rippled, and could change how much effulgence was allowed into the office?

"These windows are tinted, the tint being able to be manipulated by that lever. No doubt that's why we didn't pick up on their presence; they wouldn't have glistened, and would have more or less blended into the surroundings."

Drawing her fingers into a fist which she rested on the glass, Chell quickly looked to GlaDOS, then tapped her bad foot lightly on the floor, softly biting on her tongue to distract herself from the shocks of pain.

_That doesn't explain why we didn't catch sight of such a tall structure._

Decoding her body language, the AI was prepared.

"I believe I have an answer for that as well. You see, while you were busy rubbing your oily hands all over that glass, I was up to devices of my own."

For emphasis on this point, GlaDOS languidly dragged her optic from side to side, taking her explanation with each motion; slowly and teasingly keeping it out of grasp.

"This observation office has, judging by the central vision cone it offers, been implanted into the wall of this Enrichment Sphere; we're really _outside _the sphere, looking in."

Confusion took hold, and Chell frantically snatched her hand away from the window, shaking that arm in disagreement. She pointed to the back wall where the other mirror lay, displaying the back of the testing sphere. She then pointed to the front window, which displayed the front.

_No, we're some place in the middle. _

"I know what you are thinking, but no, you're not correct. Look closely at the rear window. Notice anything? Anything _missing_?"

Frowning as her opinion was crowned as 'wrong', the test subject complied, carefully studying the back window. Sure enough, she noticed a subtle difference that it had from the front window; it lacked a lever. Gesturing to the aged, worn lever, and pointing to the window that was missing that aspect, Chell received a bob of an optic in agreement.

"Yes. It doesn't have a lever. Now, you noticed how the room got considerable lighter and darker on both the front and back ends despite this absence of a lever at the back end to control the flow of light through it?"

Another nod.

"The reason for this is that the back window is actually a mirror. There must be another mirror placed near the front of the sphere that reflects the back of the sphere into the mirror there; that's why your own reflection didn't show up when you passed in front of it. It's a reflection of a reflection, essentially."

Blinking rapidly in disbelief, Chell hesitantly pointed to the back "mirror", whipping her head around to search through the front window for the other mirror that was supposedly reflecting into it. Piecing together the pieces of the metaphorical puzzle, the test subject reasoned that such a mirror would have to be near the bottom of the sphere, and somehow tilted in such a way that it would both reflect the back of the sphere **and **reflect into the other mirror behind them. Using such assumptions, she eventually did locate the mirror, low as she had predicted. It was actually two mirrors, fixed together so they looked as if they were a gaping mouth. The higher mirror captured the rear of the Enrichment Sphere, casting that reflection down onto the surface of its conjoined partner below it. That partner sent the reflection to the one in the observation office, bestowing the illusion of the office being impeded into the middle of the test. It was actually rather ingenious, and the illusion had been a convincing one at the least. However, maybe 'deceiving' was the proper term to use.

"As I thought, naturally. Hmm..the purpose of this was likely to create a convenient area that was hidden from test subject's sight and allowed a full-span view of the sphere of which it was stationed into, respectively. It's functionally effective, too."

_Yes, I have to agree with you there. But, the prospect of purposely hiding those who are watching your every move and portal placement is disturbing._

Chell straightened and turned, examining instead the chair and table that hadn't been touched for hundreds of years, her gaze eventually drifting to the lever again. While they had been concerned with the location of this observation office, the levers importance had sunken into an irrelevant well. But, with the remembrance of the relation of the dimming light and the working of the lever, the test subject recalled it into attention. She had left it down; light flooded into the office greedily, working its golden rays upon the surfaces of ancient furniture and urging them to awaken, to prosper again. Chell did not desire to return the lever to the position in which she had found it, and deprive the office of the small luxury of illuminant benevolence. Whatever the reason this office had a device that tinted the allowance of light was beyond her; she desired not to remain and theorize why. Taking in the office again, to make sure she hadn't missed anything that might be deemed important, Chell concluded that the office was only sparingly furnished, and for the most part, empty.

_These tests must have been rather uneventful; I don't even see a clipboard with notes jotted down like I've seen in Modern Aperture's observation offices!_

Then, despite herself, despite her extreme hatred of this place that had clung to her very essence and claimed her as its own, the test subject felt a brilliant flash of pride. **She **certainly had notes, observations, written on her file. It hadn't been broadcast to her, but honestly, did it need to be? Obviously she was different; she was the 'outlier'. A scientist dedicated to Science studied outliers thoroughly, searching for the underlying qualities that made them so very apart from the norm. They experimented to discover the true abilities of the beings that had stepped past the boundary of their group and decided to do so with a high head. GlaDOS, undeniably, was dedicated to Science. Did she hate Chell? Likely so. However, that would not allow the AI to deny the fact that Chell was unlike any other test subject, possibly unlike any other human she'd encountered in her existence.

_You may detest me, loathe me, want me dead. But luckily for me, your attachment to the subject known as Science prevents you from killing me now. Science is a net, both a capturing net and a safety net, for me. I suppose we'll see whether I'm a better acrobat, or a better fish. _

The act of being proud sets upon its actor a supreme sense of invincibility. Such a sense is dangerous and lethal; it's a toxic that tastes of cinnamon, spicy enough to be delicious, but eat too much and your mouth will scream and wail for water, merciful water. Strangely enough the sense is addicting, the spiciness appealing. One must be cautious of this, and be careful to dispose of this feeling before harm is done. Otherwise, a simple action following the laws of conceit ends all, marks the final page not in the chapter, but in the novel. Therefore, don't let invincibility corner you! Allow it to touch lightly against your skin, but then shove it away, for who wants a false promise? Chell herself had experienced the bitter taste of a false promise. The false promise was sweet, a true treat. It was four letters, four innocent letters, two of which were vowels. By the end of her sense of invincibility, otherwise known as Testing, the promise was exposed to being false. Hungry flames that licked at her bare feet as she passed over them shone harsh illumination upon the promise, and the test subject had thought for sure that her book was about to end. But, it wasn't too late; she spat out the cinnamon. Thus ended a chapter, and thus started another.

Having fallen for this trick prior, the test subject frantically pushed her pride-fulness away by filling her head with the remainder of horrible experiences she'd had, the most recent being her injury of her leg, which rendered her weaker than ever before. It was highly effective; the sensation vanished when the pungent thoughts pierced her skull, the equivalent to merciful water. With the loss, however disappointing the loss was, returned her full reasoning and logic; she wouldn't be a fool. Turning her back to the observation office, she noted that there was yet another hallway leading out of the office to another place unknown. It truly was like a rat maze, with all its twists, curves, turns, rooms, and passages. Walking into this passage, her boots met polished white tile, a shift in color from the tile in the office. This passage, however, didn't continue seemingly endlessly; a grated door guarding an elder elevator sat a few yards down. Could that elevator possibly rise to the Aperture they wished to reach, or perhaps even the surface? Heart drumming in anticipation, the woman increased her faltering pace, flinching every other step. The computer attached to the ASHPD hummed in pleased satisfaction, lifting her aperture up as high as she could to look the test subject in the eye.

"Wonderful; now you don't have to struggle up and over a set of stairs. As for myself, I do not have to watch your struggle with formerly-mentioned stairs. As for that **bird**..well, it has a less probably chance of falling off your shoulder to its death."

Chell quirked an eyebrow, nodding happily in agreement.

"Actually, that's a bit of a pity when you think about it. Quick, Tooma, jump up and down in rapid succession!"

_You're just plain **cruel**. _

Shaking her head in denial of her mild amusement, the test subject chuckled, placing a step in front of herself when the conversation was ended with one of GlaDOS' sardonic snickers.

One measured foot was completed, then another. At the next foot, a spotless wooden door was positioned, its knob a startling bronze. Considering that the elevator was her primary focus, she shouldn't have noticed the door, in all reason ability. However, fate demanded she did, so Chell unknowingly obliged. Even though she yearned to escape to that heroic elevator, Chell stopped, taking the bronze handle in her palm, ruining it with the oils of her skin. She pulled it downwards, slightly surprised when it obeyed; it was unlocked. As the door creaked open and the test subject slipped inside with her two partners, the room was already lit. Chell's eyes met dozens of articles of old test subject attire, carelessly thrown on the floor. The room was small, a closet. It was filled purely with these articles of clothing, stacked into a pile that rose to her knees. No one had bothered to wash them; they were covered in dirt, grease, blue gel. But, what covered the material the most, so much that the color of it could have been a dye, was blood. It had seeped out of the clothes during the expanse of hundreds of years, staining the white tile a vibrant red, filling the cracks between each tile. The smell was paralyzing; it could only be described as a metallic scent of death and despair.

Giving a strangled cry that was echoed by Nadine, Chell stumbled out of the closet, unable to bring herself to close the door, unable to bring herself to touch the handle of a door that hid murder. The pile of jumpsuits, so extremely similar to her own, was still visible to her. When her back hit the wall of the hallway, the test subject scrambled away, terrified adrenaline temporarily relieving her leg of affliction as she darted for the elevator, falling inside it after the grate had lifted invitingly and offered her shelter from the horrors she'd just uncovered. Sinking to the floor, shaking, Chell shut her eyes against Nadine's murmurings, and against GlaDOS inquiries as to her emotional stability; she shut her eyes against the world. Considering this elevator she was now huddled in as it rose had been her primary focus, she shouldn't have noticed that door. In all accounts of reason, she should not have caught side of that shining bronze knob at all. She shouldn't have opened the door.

She shouldn't have.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Why, hello! Sorry that this took so long..school is a chore! A chore that I'm making all A's in, mind you. Anyway, another chapter down. This marks the diverging of Inflessibile from the original storyline, hooray! I'm so excited! For those of you wondering about the title, you're gonna have to search around a bit to discover its meaning. A hint? It's Greek. I've read all your reviews, and aaah, each one fills me with undeniable happiness~<strong>_

_**Still, some of you review as anons, so I can't reply to your reviews. D; So I will do now here!**_

_**Anony Nony: Thanks so much! That really means a lot, actually. Gives me that boost of motivation I need to keep writing. Thanks so much!**_

_**FeeptheNinja: Yes, yes she is. :c Lmao, I bet they'll get along swell!**_

_**Anonymous: Awww eee! I wish for more GLaDOS snark as well; it's the best.**_

_**Also, I suppose you're all wondering whether any of you guessed the meaning of 'Tooma' correctly. Well, truth is, I don't know! Only GLaDOS knows, you see; it's up to her whether or not the meaning will ever be revealed. c; Sorry! See you at the next chapter, until then, au revoir!**_


	8. Irregular Functions of Immorality

~~~~infLEssibiLE~~~~

Fear is an emotion triggered by numerous aspects, the foremost being the initial sense that perceives the present horror and thus startles a person out of their contented state. That sense is most usually sight, perhaps hearing. What truly has a considerably massive impact is when it is both or multiple senses combined. The sense or senses become the spark of the flame, a flame that rises into a greedy fire that wavers in the beginning, yet somehow it's extremely difficult to extinguish, to annihilate.

Maybe that is due to the tension, the paralysis, of thought as the second phase of fear starts its assault. Memories, painful thoughts, suddenly dart forward with unbelievable vigor, diving into the flame, coating it in their oily sheen. As if the memories were gasoline, the flickering dancer abruptly gains strength and flares strongly, rising in height and the degree of its intimidation alike.

The heart is not fire-proof; a simple lick from a slightly hot source causes it the greatest pain. Fear produces the most aggressive flame there possibly is, therefore the heart's worst threat is that manipulative emotion. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Such a true, horribly contradicting, statement.

Back pressed forcefully against the elevator's metal interior, Chell had her neck bent backwards, eyes wide and unfocused as they stared at the ceiling, the light gradually fading as the elevator rose higher and higher away from a light source; there were no light bulbs in the machine, and soon darkness washed over them in a bath as black as tar.

As it got darker, the woman shuddered even more harshly than she already was, shaking the bird on her shoulder along with the portal gun that had somehow ended up in her lap and a certain computer overlord. GlaDOS was murmuring something, but Chell couldn't understand a word. She was caught in a dancing flame and the sound of the fire happily consumed whatever shred of a reaction from the woman it was given as kindle filled her ears, and the emotion overpowered common realization.

Shadows of the flame pranced across her vision, causing her to squint her eyes against their internal assault. The shield constructed of flesh and veins sufficed not; heart drumming wildly with terror, memories of what had lain behind that wooden door with the shining bronze handle skillfully evaded her attempts at barricading them out of her mind.

Wincing and letting out a harsh gasp, the woman fully shut her eyes, tensing and squeezing in on herself as if she had just been struck. The motion of the elevator struggling its way upward and lurching forward as it did so sent her tumbling to the side, where her head hit the side of the wall with a thunk.

_Look at me, reduced to an emotional scrapyard. How pathetic!_

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Chell tried against surmountable odds to crack open her eyes, eventually succeeding in gaining a sliver that she could see through. Tears spurred from stress and pain blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall and course down the side of her face, over her cheeks; pride refrained her from doing just that.

She glanced downwards, catching GlaDOS' aperture spying into her own gateways into her soul, the golden orb widening in incredulity. Screwing her eyes shut again, Chell yanked her head to the side, tightening her jaw and concealing her tumult from the AI who had fallen silent, smart enough to know that her mumblings didn't satisfy. They never did; how could they? It was pointless to talk really, all talking did was hurt and poison the soul, bury daggers in blemished flesh. Besides, she **had **to know that the test subject wasn't listening, couldn't listen-

"Tooma. Open your eyes."

_Why are you speaking, why can I hear you all of a sudden?_

Chell made a movement to push the ASHPD out of her lap onto the floor, her fingers lightly touching the plastic casing. However, she found herself unable to bring herself to do it, hesitation leaving her hands useless to do anything other than tremble.

"You don't have to pick up the portal gun just yet,"

GlaDOS' words were soft, not mumbles, but quiet and delicate. They seemed so fragile that they could shatter. The solace confined in those simple words was painful.

"We're still ascending. But, you do need to open your eyes."

_I don't need to. I won't. So just be quiet; don't talk anymore._

Chell curled her fingers around the ASHPD, swallowing. Creaks and groans accented their rise in the forebode hell, sounds of despair and sadness. She truly loathed it, she hated how much worse this part of Aperture was than the part she'd come to become reluctantly familiar with. The sight of so many jumpsuits all stained red from blood, all without owners but still retaining of a liquid so precious to those owners, stabbed her heart's stone walls. She could nearly feel them crumbling, falling to pieces, bricks cluttering to the ground. Her eyes, the rare tears currently barely constrained inside them, reflected the failure of her carefully constructed barricade.

_Don't you get it?_

"It's fine, don't worry. Just open them."

_I can't..._

"Are you honestly so egoistical that you won't move your eyelids in an upward fashion?"

_Show you those reflections._

Keeping her eyelids fastened over crystal, the woman silently released her hold on the ASHPD, lifting her arm up to her shoulder, searching for Nadine. But, before her hand found the bird's smooth feathers and comforting warmth, she wavered, slowly reclaiming her arm. Then, with desperation, Chell skimmed her hand across the portal gun, fingers coming into contact with metal radiating with generated warmth. She felt a jerk under her touch, but urgently shot her fingers out towards what she perceived as the corner of GlaDOS' optic once more, gripping onto it even though she was aware that the computer was terrified of her touch. Selfishness took hold, pushed itself dominant in her mind.

Welcoming it, Chell scooped up the ASHPD in both of her arms, holding it close to her chest and high, near to her neck. One of the spikes dug into her left arm in protest, yet she hardly noticed. Head bowed, the woman had her chin hugging the gun against the skin of her neck, pressing the comfort where her pulse beat evidently: as close to her heart as she conceived possible. The irregular throbs of her heart were echoed back to her as they bounced off the gun, conveying to her just how unstable she was. Each beat was a mockery, a laughing accusation. Was it so irrational for her, then, to wish that her heart would stop?

GlaDOS had gone silent, although the woman could still hear her processors humming quite loudly. The minimal heat from the AI seeped into her skin; Chell yearned to keep such soothing energy close to her forever. Small tremors came from GlaDOS occasionally, obvious to the woman as they passed through her skin. Chell's fingers twitched, her mouth falling into a shaky frown.

Willing herself to keep unnaturally still for just a split moment, the constant shudders became hopelessly transparent to see through, innocently revealing. Was GLaDOS frightened? Her eyes gradually easing their way open, Chell held the ASHPD close to her still, relishing in the consolation, but at the same time harboring humiliation of who she had chosen to supply her with such. Forcefully, at that.

Pulling the ASHPD away from herself, she held the gun out in front of her in the palms of both hands, the white bandage on her right reminding her just how much she'd already been injured since what could only be described as the bare definition of betrayal, both physically and emotionally. That white bandage, a constant reminder, weighed tons at that precise moment. Feeling despair lift in her throat, Chell coughed, wanting the feeling to pass. A chirp in her ear made her blow a low breath out in half-hearted acknowledgment, another lurch of the elevator in its long rise nearly jostling the portal gun out of her grasp.

Tightening her grip on the weapon, she blinked hard, fighting away the reflections. They swelled behind her eyelids, pleading to be shared. It was tempting; a mirror was far more easily shattered if there was an assisting hand. However, Chell denied them the luxury, concealing them as much as she was able at that minute. The glass dimmed, smeared by the desire to protect one's self from any future pain, regardless of the pain that was already afflicted. Pain could only be alleviated by further injury.

Still, what an ironic antidote! Chell refused to take even a sip, to let a single drop dot her lips. Instead, she swallowed, feeling control gradually work its way back up her throat and into her brain, where the haze of fear began to withdraw and the flame sunk down low on its wick. It was only then that the test subject dropped her head, gazing downwards at her partner with an empty, blank expression.

With the ASPHD resting in her hands, the AI staring up at her with a plainly alarmed, wide optic, the sense of being evaluated was much harsher than before, and was obvious yet left vague enough to cause her to imagine the state. Rather than drop the gun to the floor as she desperately coveted to do, the woman forced herself to remain holding it, to remain staring into a single, mechanical eye. Despite herself, her arms shook and she shuddered still, unable to deny that fear had woven itself between her mind and consciousness.

"...Look, I wasn't planning on speaking to you since you don't want to listen to amazingly plain reasoning; you think that's useless and will do nothing to erase the horrors that you've just witnessed. Well, you're right, but only to an extent."

Flinching at yet another shake of their ride along with the words, Chell managed, with effort, to lift an eyebrow.

_It's rather irritating; I should be able to hide my emotions and insecurities from **you** of all things, considering that's what I've always done._

Though, doing that seemed to be becoming less and less of a possibility. Coupled with their new-found reliance on each other in order to make their fruitful escape along with the support one provided the other once the environment shed light on their insecure propensities, Chell found that restricting anything at all from the supercomputer would be a miraculous feat, at least here in the white-walled recesses of Old Aperture where some tiles had been stained crimson.

"While it's true that words cannot erase memories, certainly they can form new ones."

_New memories, an interesting prospect. A pity though; memories are worth less than dust. After all, they're easily comparable to particles of dust sitting on shelves: accumulative, lingering, bothersome. I'd rather words erase them, all of them._

Remaining silent, unmoving, Chell blinked slowly, noting that although the fear loitered, the tears graciously had not. Even so, she brought her bandaged hand away from the ASHPD, and wiped the bandage across her forehead. She sneakily drifted it down to her eyes, where she swiped at whatever wetness remained. The bandage was soft, a detail that she hadn't noticed prior. Now though, when it was pressed comfortingly on the skin of her face, she appreciated the texture thoroughly.

Allowing it to rest there at least temporarily, the woman dropped her gaze to the supercomputer, thoughts clashing for dominance, potential actions pleading to be acted out, each one proclaiming that they were the most logical, the true authentic. Allowing to the battle to rage, Chell sighed lightly as a partial reply, closing her hand into a loose fist.. Her knuckles offered a decent support as she rested her cheek on them, head rocking from the irregular movements of the ancient lift. Then, deciding to complete the reply, she indifferently plucked an impulse from within her mind, not bothering to examine it as it writhed in her grip before she carried it out.

Gently removing her hand from its place as a support, Chell palmed her forehead, then stretched her hand out towards GlaDOS so that her finger tips halted inches from her, contemplation forming as she noticed that the AI did not flinch as abruptly at the threat of her touch this time. Bringing her hand back to her head, she covered her entire face with her palm, then spread her fingers apart so her irises peered out from between them.

GlaDOS narrowed her optic, an apparent 'squint', up at the human, but remaining silent despite her unmistakable irritation. Allowing herself to chuckle softly, Chell pulled her mouth into a closed smirk, closing a single eye in a teasing wink, shielding gray behind flesh and thin veins. At the wink, GlaDOS' aperture jolted out of its narrowed formation, instead widening in confusion, the likes of which eventually settled back on hesitant understanding as her optic shrunk back to its normal size.

_You, the one who has caused me so much pain, the one who has ruled my life from the very border of the starting line, are constantly changing in your attitude, your disposition, towards me. I can't understand you. Yet, despite all that, your presence allows me to see through the veil, tear it away, and dart away from the frenzy._

Chell's hand fell away from her face, landing on her knee. Smirk fading into a small frown, she stared at the floor of the elevator, carefully controlling her breathing, easing herself into the proper state of mind and body.

_That is definitely a case of satire in its most cruel form._

Light was steadily filling the elevator again; the floor gradually shone a bright, polished brown like before, and sure enough, the lift gave an angry jerk, stopping reluctantly and shaking in frustration at having to cease its long-awaited voyage.

Raising her head, Chell watched as the door pulled itself up away from its hold in the floor, removing the metal barrier between her and the new destination. What lay ahead was a wide hallway stretching several feet that eventually connected into what the woman hypothesized to be another observation office. Feeling weary, yet still determined, she pulled herself to her feet, using the sides of the lift to raise herself from the floor without insult to her leg.

Once upright, it was relatively simple work to limp out of the elevator, ASHPD in hand and bird perched on the tips of her toes on her shoulders. When her boots had completely lost contact with the floor of the elevator, it eagerly released its grip on teetering, letting itself plummet back to its waiting position below. However, that was not what held the test subject's attention at the moment.

Slowly walking through the hallway to the office, she was able to see the area behind, around, and even below the testing spheres; rather than having walls, each side of the walkway had a giant window, much like the observation office they had just left. Somehow, their surfaces remained unblemished and absolutely, unarguably, perfect. The feeling of déjà vu was sickening.

_Is this..the path the employees would take? Why didn't the past hallway look like this? Also, why on Earth would they make a point of showcasing the inner make-up of their facility? Isn't that something usually hidden away due to paranoia?_

To the right was a never-ending view, to the left was a view of the outer surface of the second enrichment sphere. Forehead creasing in thought, Chell gazed left out the glass as she continued ahead, taking note of the things she observed. The entire expanse outside the spotless window was constructed of metal, but not just any metal. No, it was not copper, steel, or even bronze; instead the walls that were barely curved to gradually form the outer shell of the second enrichment sphere and the beams stretching every which way to hold the vicinity up were the shiny gray that almost appeared white: the trademark color of pure silver.

Steadfast white lighting reflected off the silver, casting bursts of illumination that gave the illusion of producing albino rainbows across the glass Chell was peering through. The effect it implemented was admittedly impacting; the woman's breath was nearly taken away by the display, the supreme **beauty **that was rather simplistic, but still somehow greater in raw dynamic than anything she'd seen in Aper- no, anything she'd seen in general, than ever before.

Wrapped around each support beam were strings of lights that glowed, spurring nostalgia, blue and orange. Though, the colors were faint in tone, the intention obviously being not to have the usually more vibrant colors overshadow the silver. These lights were bound securely to the beams by several knots in their thick wires; not a single strand of wire dangled loosely.

Further out, near the outer wall of the sphere, the lights became severely subdued, nearly invisible amongst the silvery snowflakes of light filtering within the harbor encasing the hallway, the likes of which was serving as an architectural canopy that had a dual purpose of being extremely distracting due to the intensity of its alien appeal.

In the 'underbelly' of the harbor, layered underneath the beams and disappearing into the realm of obscurity and invisibility further below, spanned networks of white, strikingly **white**, wires. They formed an impressive web with an intricate design. The wires as a whole seemed to pulse at intervals, a heartbeat that was shared by all the wires graciously and selflessly.

These intervals were entirely random and not part of any schedule, although it appeared that if the delay between pulses was delayed, the wires would lunge upwards in a needy, fluid motion, give a series of similar, though less intense, imitations, then settle into temporary relative dormancy once again.

Intrigued, the test subject felt her previous terror and shock evaporate and instead condense into a nearly child-like curiosity, urging her to get close to the window, ensure that she hadn't simply hit her head too hard and was still lying, unconscious, in the scrapyard underneath the broken elevator shaft from which she had entered ,and then embarked on, this venture with fantasies full of ridicule circling around in her delusional mind.

So she did so, closing in on the window, intently staring at her computer companion as she did so to gauge her reaction at the slight distraction she found herself caught up in. The computer was regarding her: _only _her. Stopping a couple of inches in front of the window, Chell cocked her head to the left slightly, gesturing the portal gun forward in an invitation for GlaDOS to look out and examine the sight with her; the possibility that she would be able to provide some input towards the beautiful spectacle that Aperture had created to embrace its Employee Monitoring Walkways was incredibly tempting .

However, GLaDOS' reaction was an enraged, although short, mechanical screech that had Chell stumbling backwards and Nadine fleeing to shelter behind the human's neck. Desperately catching a hold on her footing, the test subject glared at the supercomputer, expression accusing as her recovering heart beat quickly in her chest.

"I most certainly do **not**,"

GlaDOS growled, her voice low and tone sour,

"wish to catch sight of what those idiots considered magnificent architecture."

Nadine had crept hesitantly back to a position where she could peek from around Chell's neck, and the human and bird cast each other bewildered looks. They held eye contact briefly, then Chell returned her attention to GlaDOS, and Nadine hobbled out to her perch on her shoulder, absently preening herself in the lack of any other suitable and non-offensive action. The woman carefully slid her hand farther up the ASHPD along the barrel, her fingertips coming to rest a couple inches away from the AI, whom darted her aperture down to watch them apprehensively.

Drumming those digits rhythmically, Chell pursed her lips and sucked in, producing a high-pitched sound that echoed throughout the hallway filled vastly with diaphanous, proclaiming doors of shining clarity. The echo increased the lamprophony of the shrill noise, effectively gaining GlaDOS' complete, although clearly exasperated, attention.

Swiftly leaning her face close to the portal device, the test subject chuckled silently at the AI's surprised expression, removing her fingers from the gun and placing them on her lips, resuming their drumming there. GlaDOS watched, confusion obvious inside her rapidly morphing aperture, a full moon turning crescents, and crescents turning new moons. Chell closed her eyes with a light grin.

_You are..._

Quickly snatching her hand away from her lips, she jabbed her pointer finger at the very edge of the computer's optic plate, receiving a stunned, undignified, squawk.

_Very weird!_

Pulling herself away from the closeness, the test subject snickered at the AI's expense, blinking innocently when an arraigning glare was shot in her direction. However, the narrowed aperture soon opened wide, veering off to the side and twisting to regard her from an angle: an imitation of teasing inquiry.

"Your reactions to every sort of stimulus..most of the time I am able to predict your responses accurately. However, it would seem that I'll never be able to decipher your crazed emotional aspects _en masse_."

Nadine unexpectedly chirped loudly at that, causing Chell to tense and stare at her out of the corner of her eye. GlaDOS did the same, although her optic slowly began to narrow until it was in the shape of a malicious slit: the shape it had usually taken the majority of the time from near the beginning of the trio's journey. Noticing this, the woman huffed, clicking her nails on the surface of the ASHPD, wrapping her hand around its barrel in a proper grip and raising it higher with purpose. She risked an amused grin towards Nadine once GlaDOS' optic had expanded to a decent size again, shaking her head in mock shame.

_You as well, little one? Well then. _

Glancing out the windows one more time, Chell started forward, following the glowing lights and gleaming beams to the observation office. Her footsteps uneven yet successive, she relentlessly fought against all feelings of fear and insecurity; it was thoroughly true that the past experience was terrifying, utterly lethal to her emotional health.

Even now, she felt tremors rack throughout her body, attempting to shake off her resolve and send her hurtling over the edge of sanity. Still, she refused to give in, to let the struggle outwardly show. Instead, she focused her mind at the task at hand. It had become something of a preventive; her tenacity and dedication to her main goal was all that kept her mentally sound anymore. So, though her soul screamed with agony, her brain held true to its task, and neither computer nor avian was able to hear the cries of the component inside her that was truly only characteristic to humanity.

Holding the portal gun to her right, turning her neck away, the woman let a soft, gentle smile pass over her face. It wasn't a pleased or content smile; it was emotionless, void. Such an action could not be labeled smiling, per say, however, the upturning of lips is classified as such. Therefore, the smile that was not a smile appeared.

_I think I'm starting to grow paranoid of this place. If this next office turns out like the last-_

Breath catching at the thought, Chell roughly shook her head, so roughly that her entire body rocked back and forth with the motion. This earned her a suspicious, scrutinizing, stare from GlaDOS, she soon discovered upon catching the sound of a disapproving 'hn'. Careful to keeping her gaze diverted, Chell set her full attention to tracing the orange and blue bulbs. She noted that as she got closer to the office, now only a handful of feet away, the lights shone vibrantly, allowing themselves to overshadow the silver and its dance of light.

_These colors have led me all this time, haven't they? Regardless of the circumstances, they were always beneficial to my cause, too. I suppose I should put more faith into them than I am currently._

Brow knitted in concentration, the woman abruptly jerked her head away from the window, fully intending to quicken her pace. However, she halted; the doorway to the observation office was already ahead of her, and the tips of her long-fall foots were resting on the clean, gleaming tile. Staring numbly at the floor, Chell felt her heart beat quicken, her muscles begin to tingle, the thin hairs adorning her body rise to their full height. But, wrenching her neck upwards and stepping into the room, she shunned those instinctive warnings without dwelling.

What she noticed firstly was that there was a muffled drone mildly sounding throughout the office; it was nearly inaudible, mysterious in its origin. Similar to the first office they had come across in the EMW, the room had the large window, and mirror on the opposite wall looking out to the test. Pointedly averting her gaze from the window and mirror, the test subject fastened her eyes on the floor, mentally remarking on the identical choices of tile between the two offices as the soft drone gradually faded into silence.

However, unlike the previous office, this one appeared to be of a technologically advanced state. Near where Chell had stopped, two feet or so inside from the doorway, there were two mahogany desks positioned a couple of feet away from the window, and atop them sat historical, stained by age, computers whose weight looked as if it were enough to send the desks collapsing like exhausted pillars.

Tall machines leaned upon the wall in front of her, packed close together so that they filled up the entire space excluding the section reserved for the door that would lead out of the office. The door held her gaze briefly, a safety beacon, but then a flash of green reeled her gaze back to the machines. The vertical devices were displaying gently glowing green numbers: the statistics of the testing sphere by no doubt. These numbers changed nearly every second; the usage of the sphere after being in disuse for such a long time was putting a strain on whatever Aperture Innovators' used to power its resources, and the machines were ever-delighted to showcase that information.

Not seeing much value in the recordings of those machines, Chell searched for anything else of substantial standing, biting her lip as it became increasingly difficult to batter down the feelings of distress resulting from being in the office. To distract herself, though, from the pressing prodding of clawed beings, prodding that were gradually becoming violent lashings, was remarkably uncomplicated; the denser her engrossment with scouring for anything of use for their escape, the less panic she was put under.

Considering that half the room was constructed of the window and mirror, however, the wall containing the vertical machines and its opposite wall were all that served as dens for potentially helpful technology. Turning her neck to see what lurked behind her on that opposite wall, Chell's sight came upon a long and wide cabinet adorned with several drawers and doors, whose surface shone a beautiful red.

Noticing how the wood of the desk and cabinet sharply contrasted with the white tile, the test subject felt the known sensations of fear creep along her bones, cackling as they mockingly called out to her once they realized that she had sensed their presence: "Say, Chell! Are you familiar with the phrase 'Roses are red'? Ah, the symbolism of love is stained red! Do you know why the symbols of love have such bitter thorns? Allow us to enlighten you, our dear!"

_No. I won't be defeated by my own **mind**, of all enemies! _

Swiftly facing away from the cabinet, Chell's gaze met the computers once more. The computers were odd in appearance; the monitors were shaped more rectangular than cubical, and their length surpassed their height and width. Several cords connected the keyboard, hard drive, mouse, and some sort of sphere sporting soft buttons decorated with strange symbols across its diameter. None of the devices were active; their lights were non-existent, indicating their hibernating state.

A radio was situated to the left edge of the first desk, carefully placed just before the end of the table. The device sparked memories, so many memories, and the test subject couldn't resist inching closer to the desk and idly touching the knobs, examining the differences between this radio and the smaller, more compressed radios she'd known. This radio had a cubed shape, a sole large speaker opposite the controls. The controls were humorously simple; there were three knobs: volume, tune, and seek. The radio was turned on by a button directly above those, shaped in the logo of Aperture Innovators that was growing in its familiarity.

Shifting, Chell shot a look to GlaDOS, pushing the volume knob forward as she held her attention. With her arm outstretched, Nadine took the opportunity to sneakily clamber across it until she reached her wrist, where she then hopped off of and onto the desk with a contented chirp. Frowning initially, but eventually relenting, Chell allowed the animal to wander about the desk.

"Tooma. That radio is not what should be intriguing to you now."

_Intriguing? That's not what it is to me. I'd say it's refreshing, if anything._

Nonetheless, she raised her expression to convey her willingness to hear out the AI, her pride wincing at the embarrassing demeanor. GlaDOS herself seemed a bit baffled at how little effort she had put forth and succeeded in gaining her test subject's attention, the yellow of her optic fading slightly. Still, it took her all of a few seconds to recover, for the yellow to blare full-force again, and for her treasured words to start pouring out with the vigor of a young stream coasting over polished stones.

"Those machines opposite that compilation of junk are computers, comically unimpressive computers at that, but that's besides the point. By all logical reasoning, the time of occupation of this section of Aperture Innovators would have taken place approximately in the years between 1940 and 1950."

Nodding in pretend understanding, Chell took her fingers off the knob of the radio, instead placing them on top of the computer monitor beside her. It felt foreign, cold, dead. She was unused to the feeling; all the computers she'd encountered in Aperture, the queen herself included, were humming with artificial life, radiating with generated warmth. This one was silent, devoid of life even in the artificial degree.

_Are you a computer, in all honesty? _

Her fingers curled around the corner of the monitor, squeezing. GlaDOS' aperture shrunk, sliding from side to side: a shake of her metaphorical head. Smugly, Chell smirked, patting the top of the old computer with affection, an amusingly ironic action considering past scenarios. Quickly returning to the somber mood though, she stilled and waited patiently for the rest of GlaDOS' thought. She didn't have to wait long, for the AI swiftly launched back into her explanation, optic pointedly smaller in precautionary warning not to get distracted ever again while she was in the middle of expressing a point.

"_Anyway_, you probably didn't know this, but the earliest year that a desktop computer such as the one being molested by your greasy hands would have been available to the public would have been 1965."

Fingers twitching and features falling slightly in an expression of surprise, Chell caught on immediately.

_That's at least 15 years ahead of the era of this place, then!_

Astonishment brandishing her face, Chell snapped her attention to the quiet machine, hesitantly running her palm across the top of its screen. GlaDOS reacted to her realization positively, allowing her optic to fill out again. She waited a couple of seconds for the human's mass of surprise to dilute somewhat, gave a brief buzz as a warning, then continued with increased emphasis on her words, great care being taken to let them absorb into her test subject's mind.

"The first desktop available at that time was the prehistoric Programma 101."

Her tone took on a displeased note, and if GlaDOS had a nose it would have surely been curled upwards in aversion.

"The lack of grammar in that name appalls me, truthfully. Still, I suppose the horrific name is well-suited since that machine would have been capable of less than a standard graphing calculator, more or less proper English."

Halfway grinning, Chell continued her physical assessment of the computer, ghosting her palm over its screen. Instead of being glossy, smooth, the screen felt coarse: paper-like. Scoffing with disgust at the strange texture, the test subject pulled her hand away, resting it on the cool wood of the desk. Staring at the computer that had, somehow, defied the time of its own invention not only itself but with its partner positioned on the other desk, the test subject gradually shook her head, apathy quite clear in her action.

_This company, no, this venue of moral laxity, has always come across as manipulative and sly to me. Even the humans who once ran this place left behind traces of their arrogance, their conceit. It would not surprise me if they took considerable ugly measures to acquire, or create, these machines years before the remainder of humanity would be given a glance. _

GlaDOS, however, seemed almost reluctant to drop the subject, her aperture narrowed and focused on the pair of computers. Dismissively tapping a finger on the ASHPD, Chell turned the ASHPD away from them, reaching her arm out to Nadine with a click of her tongue.

"We shouldn't worry about those technological trash bins, not now anyways."

GlaDOS murmured, following the bird with her aperture as she scrambled up Chell's arm, aperture further forming a slit. Chell, carefully supervising Nadine lest she tumble to the ground, rewarded GlaDOS with a glance and an agreeing nod. The woman twisted her body, walking away from the desk.

"When I've been returned to my chassis, I'll collect them for examination. Perhaps. Frankly, we've been trudging along at quite the unimpressive pace, although that pace does allow the search for quicker, alternative routes. Ah, well, there's a proton for every electron, but in the case of the neutron.."

The computer thought aloud, her voice a soft muse. Not used to the tone, Chell slowly, unassumingly, raised the ASHPD higher so that it was about level with the middle of her ribcage where she was able to listen clearly. The musings continued as Chell walked, their purpose unknown but their presence greeted. Her own rabid thoughts calmed from rough tides to serene waves, the earlier thrashings now mild ripples. Allowing the supercomputer's pondering to fill her mind, the AI's meditative statements unintentionally sewed back the torn stitching in her noesis of subsistence.

The center of the office was open, the logo present on the floor. Aperture certainly was prideful, to have what was perceived as its face of appearance smothering nearly all available surfaces. It would not be surprising if the moon itself had been tattooed with the eye of science, an eye which would take immense pleasure in surveying the infinity which was the universe.

Ceasing her steps, standing in the center of the aperture logo, Chell thoughtfully cocked her head to the side in self-questioning, interest floating on the surface of her thoughts.

_I wonder..what's the 'moon'? More importantly, how could I have experienced a thought about it if I'm not aware of what it is? _

Straightening her head, the test subject shrugged off the question, clipping heel in front of wobbly heel as she headed for the exit.

_Just lost memories, only dust blown away by the almighty Wind._

Having surpassed the logo now, Chell began to quicken her pace, inviting a limp. The change in stability apparently dragged GlaDOS out of her contemplative mindset, for she suddenly barked out a command for Chell to stop, immediately. Delaying her obedience, Chell instead slowed her speed, disapprovingly pursing her lips as she tipped her head down to regard the computer at the end of her gun.

"_Wait_ just a minute, Tooma. You haven't checked that document cabinet over there at all. Did you forget that these offices were meant to be only accessed by employees, and therefore the security taken to secure locked storage is practically none?"

There it was: the recalling of the blood-red cabinet that stretched long, and loomed over the room in the intimacy of its great height. Chell stopped mid-step, her left boot toe hovering above the tiles, yearning to be placed forward. Chell silently eased her eyelids over her eyes partly, the look being one of resigned compliance. Ever so slowly, the woman turned around and switched paths, choosing to concentrate on the number of steps she took rather than her destination.

_One, two, three, four, five, six..._

Her thoughts trailed off, lost among grains of sand being carted away along a breeze, a breeze that graces us with its entity occasionally, offering us the simple solace of brushing off the worries of the mind, freeing us from the confines of our consciousness' gravity. Lightened, Chell increased her step, cautious not to draw out too bad of a limp, stopping in front of the cabinet and raising her head in order to peer at the top of it.

_This piece of furniture is grandiosely huge. Must everything here be extravagant?_

Chell scowled, lowered her head and bent forward into a crouch. With her right leg stretched forwards, she gently tucked her wounded leg underneath herself, sprawling it across the tiles to permit it relief. Reaching for the first drawer and giving a tug, she found it unlocked. As it slid open, GlaDOS let out a self-praising chuckle, her joy at being found correct yet again unmistakable.

The test subject's mouth twitched in mild irritation, indignation slowly rising in her chest. Eager to get out of the office as soon as possible, the test subject ignored the subtle invitation for a reprimand on her part. So instead, she hurriedly ruffled through the papers inside the drawer, finding them to be nothing more than basic guidelines on humdrum safety procedures. There weren't any codes or notes written on them; Chell slammed the drawer shut and went on to the next.

The second drawer held an abundance of notebooks, each one solid black and held together by shiny, curled wire. Fishing out the first notebook on top of the pile, Chell laid it on her knee while she used her free hand to flip the cover open. A diagram of a person which was anatomically-labeled was sketched at the top left with the name 'Gabriel Gauntlett' written in print above it. Underneath the diagram, filling the page entirely, were messy notes that were scribbled in no particular order. Using her fingers to grab the last few pages of the notebook, Chell flipped through those, discovering that the pages were nearly identical.

_These are test subject logs. This notebook has been completely filled with them, too._

Briefly examining a couple of logs farther in the book, Chell grunted softly in disinterest, finding the logs disconcerting as the Latin script adorning the arch they'd stumbled upon earlier. Records of the past test subjects weren't exactly relieving on Chell's easiness, either. The woman tossed the notebook away, already digging into the pile once more. The notebook hit the tile with a thump, sending it sliding across the floor until it hit the leg of the right-most desk, where it rested face-open. A pencil visage stared unseeingly up at the ceiling of the office, its lead eyes cold and unfeeling, emotionless.

Each of the notebooks had been filled to the brim with recordings of performances, the majority of which seemed quite unimpressive based on the few words Chell had glanced over while flipping through the pages: Average, dull, unsophisticated, simple-minded, idiocy, carelessness, arrogance, insolent. She did, however, feel a particular type of solace glancing over the hundreds-of-years old pages, the paper yellowing and unnaturally soft against the pads of her fingers as she flipped the pages.

These books eventually all made their destination on the floor, haphazardly laying on their backs, sides, fronts, pages creased by indifference. Staring at an empty drawer, possessing nothing more of use than previously, Chell flexed her wrist to catch the AI's attention. GlaDOS tilted her aperture towards her, flickering her optic once in a quick action of acknowledgment.

Holding her gaze as she slid the drawer closed, Chell lowered the lids of her eyes with a low sigh, allowing her shoulders to slump. Truly, allowing the bones which support your neck up to your head which is the container for your brain is a clear sign of ceding course, for wouldn't even the most delicate and beautiful cherry blossoms tumble to the ground without their branches?

Still, however, Chell kept her neck erect, eyes glinting with zeal although they were clouded with exhaustion, stress, sharp ponderosity. The imparting body language hit the computer with a shadow of unexpected disappointment, shown by the lack of quite as many octaves in her voice as she coaxed the test subject into checking the remaining drawer and pair of large doors fastened to the cabinet via shining metal hinges.

_This is just a waste of precious time! Certainly we can make do with a physics-defying gun, logic says so no matter the argument!_

Laggardly, she wrapped her palm around the handle of the third drawer, and experiencing a curve in her patience yanked hard, gracing it with the formidable force of her strengthened arm. The drawer clattered to the floor at her feet, landing partially on her toes. Luckily, her long-fall boot absorbed the impact completely and without effort; compared to landing on concrete after plummeting from heights of several hundred meters, mere scuffles with office furniture couldn't compare. Her only consequence was a chiding glare from GlaDOS, as well as a harsh snap of 'You clumsy simpleton! Are you a child?".

The contents rattled, fixating Chell's interest as she gripped the drawer by the top, dragging it along the tile to her side where it would be easier to riffle through the objects. Unlike the other drawers which contained purely one category of items, various trinkets littered the bottom of the third. Sleek black pens rocked lightly, still recovering from the rough disruption. Shallow gray cans whose wrappers had long-since faded also occupied in abundance.

Picking up one of these cans and holding it close to her face, Chell immediately grimaced in morbid disgust at the smell, and she swiftly dropped it on the floor where it clattered and rolled away underneath the cabinet. Rubbing at her nose, frustratingly realizing that whatever was in the can had left her nostrils stinging from the malignant smell, Chell huffed lowly at the sounds of amusement from bird and machine alike: a tuneful chirrup and snark snicker.

Pinching her nose closed and blowing through it in an effort to chase the unpleasant sensation away, the test subject closed her eyes and shook her head, vowing never to touch a single gray can as long as it wasn't imperative to survival. Aside from the burning in her nose, her throat felt slightly dry and rough, there was a disagreeing throbbing in the back of her head. Tears welled up behind her eyes as they began to water.

_Why in the name of everything scientific were **those** in there? Is the stuff inside those cans meant to be eaten, smelled? Because that has to be the most idio-_

Chell stilled, but quickly entered animation once again as her body demanded air and she was forced to relinquish her grip on her nose and inhale deeply, coughing as the burning inside her nose increased dynamically, but then evaporated nearly in the next instant at the supply of oxygen. Creasing her brow and palming at her temples, the woman sighed silently in mild fluster, cracking an eye open and tiredly resuming scanning the remaining objects inside the drawer as the discomfort in her nose and throat subsided.

_Or perhaps it is not meant to be inhaled at all. It would make sense, considering that this is a sophisticated facility dedicated to Science, not a food storage unit. _

Knocking the pens and cans to the side, Chell concluded that this third drawer was what one would label a 'junk drawer'; a drawer filled with random items of various useless with all the organization of mold growing on the ceiling. There were torn sheets of paper, screw drivers, paper clips, rubber bands, rolls of tape..it appeared as if all the average objects to be found in an office had been carelessly shoved into one drawer, perhaps to save the other space for more "Aperture Quality" possessions.

_Such disorganization. Isn't this majorly out of character!_

Smirking in hesitant amusement, Chell jostled the drawer in a grab at uncovering anything she might have missed, shifting her weight and bringing her hand to her left leg in an effort to pull it up into the position she needed in order to get herself standing once more. Unexpectedly, the jostle **did** reveal an object that had escaped her searching by some astounded means: a flashlight, the handle and base around the bulb a strong electric blue.

Immediately, a memory flashed before her eyes: miles upon miles of supposed bleakness of black, the cries of a facility shaking in wrath, a voice urging her to remain close. Then, a burst of secure light, light that illuminated the way and chased away the minor uncertainty present earlier. All that accented by a terrified scream, which humorlessly amounted to be uncalled for seeing as turning on the light hadn't caused the screamer the death he anticipated.

"Aha! A flashlight. We'll likely be needing that at some point; remember the poorly-lit conditions outside of this EMW? Who knows if all the lighting deeper inside here has fared better than those light sources? Even if it have, a notion which I'm not at all confident in humoring, you could use the light for _other _human interests~"

Shaken out of the memory, the test subject dropped her gaze to GlaDOS, blinking incoherently a couple of times, but then her words set in. Chell snorted, rolling her eyes while dismissing a small flush threatening to wash upon her cheeks and reached for the flashlight, taking it in her grasp. She had to tug somewhat to get it out of the drawer's confines; there was a strap attached to the bottom of the light, and it had gotten caught in some of the other heaps of junk. Still, its struggle proved without reward, for in the end Chell wrestled it out of its burrow, gingerly jerking the strap away from the drawer lest further struggle ensue.

Fighting the discomfort broiling in her stomach, unsure whether it was from the memory or from the surroundings, Chell took quite an interest in examining the light, shaking it and hearing a satisfying thudding as well as feeling a slight shift in weight with every shake; blessedly, the flashlight was supplied with batteries. Her computer companion bobbed her optic once in approval, snapping it over to the remaining cabinet drawers above them: a rather conspicuous hint to hurry up.

Flipping the flashlight around and locating the switch, the woman flipped it forward, a half grin crawling across her lips as the bulb shone a pale yellow. Identifying the weak color as an indication of dying batteries, Chell quickly switched the light off again, allowing the flashlight to slip through her fingers, catching onto its strap.

Idly swinging it by the strap, she contemplated how to carry the item without hindering her ability to use the ASHPD effectively. Nadine coincidentally chose that moment to nuzzle the side of the test subject's neck softly, cooing quietly in distress at both the surroundings that were so vastly different than where Chell had discovered her as well as the lack of attention given to her by said human.

Biting teeth of pity getting her attention, Chell brought her hand up to stroke the animal on the head, allowing the strap to fall between her fingers as she did so. At the contact, Nadine instantly relaxed, and Chell could feel the tension in her small muscle evaporate at her touch. Strangely pleased at being capable of providing such release, Chell hummed roughly at the back of her throat, subconsciously spanning her fingers outwards in an unintentional display of contentment.

The strap that was wrapped languidly around her fingers brushed the skin of her neck, a caress of cheap thread and carefully sewn fibers. Flinching away from the unexpected touch, Chell's face naturally fell into a bitter scowl, much to the amusement of GlaDOS, a constant receiver of such a look who certainly found its presence directed towards a _flashlight strap _of all things to be gleefully ironic.

However, the unwelcome touch of the strap spurred an idea. Eyes brightening in slowly mounting inspiration, Chell stretched the strap open wide with her single hand, managing that task without trouble. Then, bringing her arm over her head and pulling the strap across, she slipped it around her neck. The flashlight bumped against her chest, coming to rest a good number of inches from her neck, but not uncomfortably dangling too low.

_Not bad,_

Chell twisted, knocking the flashlight about. Like a pendulum, it swung side to side, timing each passing second with the rhythm of its swing.

_Out of the way, yet always within reach. Perfect. _

She batted at the strap, urging it into a gentle sway that brushed the cool plastic of the flashlight soothingly against her skin. Appreciating the comfort passingly, Chell tugged at the strap, pulled it to a stop, then cautiously started moving out of her crouched position again, wrapping a firm grasp around the ankle of her wounded leg and pulling it out from under herself. Wincing in preparation for the pain rather than the pain itself, Chell rapidly lunged up and forward on her right leg, a most dangerous trust being put into it.

She bit back an agonized gasp when a lack of balance forced her to rely on her wounded leg ever minutely, swiftly resorting to leaning her weight on the red cabinet itself. Refusing to swallow gasps of air, feeling that it would warrant unwelcome analogies involving fish or similar aquatic organisms, Chell breathed harshly through her nose as she caught the breath that had eluded her in the moment of excruciation.

After brief seconds had passed, the test subject pushed herself off the cabinet into an upright stature, although she quickly adjusted herself accordingly before much pressure could be put onto her left leg and cause an unappreciated collapse to the cold tiles. The flashlight bobbed frantically around her neck; she stilled it with a palm which she pressed the strap to her skin with. Her pulse beat against that palm, swift and irregular. Alarmed, she removed her hand, instead choosing to grab the handle of the a door stationed level with her chin and pull it open.

Stacked inside the compartment were dozens and dozens of various texts, their pages untouched by age or grime. Uninterested, Chell scanned the pile from top to bottom, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a white bottle with a tell-tale screw top situated on top of the highest book. Her arm barely reached the height, the tips of her fingers scarcely capable of brushing against the plastic of the bottle. Still, she prevailed and held the bottle close to her face, clatters from inside it accenting every small movement she made. The bottle was indeed labeled, although the contents remained foreign despite what name it provided:

_**Opium. **_

Characteristic for Aperture, the word was the only offering of information as to what the bottle contained; the company was as foreboding and vague as always. Increasing the intensity of her shakes of her bottle as her interest in the contents grew in intensity as well, Chell noticed the intrigue of a certain dandelion whose optic was narrowed in an attempt to grasp a better view of the container which had captured her test subject's attention.

Expecting some rightful clarification, Chell carefully spun the bottle with her fingers so that the labeled side was to GlaDOS, offering another shake, another series of clatters, with the gesture. GlaDOS' optic blinked in and out: what Chell now recognized as an expression of disbelief, an expression that displayed that the computer was rather confounded. Tilting her head, the woman minimally jerked her arm, giving the ASHPD a jolt. GlaDOS' aperture narrowed in irritation, rising up to peer into Chell's own eyes. They remained like that for quite a few moments, then GlaDOS let out a long, perplexed sigh.

"Put that back, Tooma. I assure that such..**medication** is the last thing you need at this time."

Raising an eyebrow and turning the bottle back towards herself, the test subject hesitated. She had a vague recollection of little white pills, usually taken one or two at a time with glasses of water: painkillers. Only a short period of time would be needed for them to kick in and chase away the pain, to pluck the seemingly eternal thorns. The appeal of such pills, in the presence of her greatly wounded left leg, was entrancing.

_Certainly in an office setting, especially in offices so bizarre as Aperture Laboratories', headaches and other pains caused by stress would be nearly chronic. Doesn't it make sense, then, to have a supply of pain medication available?_

Glancing to her shoulder, eying Nadine who was eying the bottle mostly likely because of the sounds coming from within, Chell inconspicuously drifted her fingers higher up the bottle, positioning her thumb underneath the top with the intention of forcibly popping it open.

_Perhaps 'Opium' is a type of painkiller? _

Deciding that it was a good probability, and that a closer examination of the contents would provide the key factors which would allow her to justify that assumption or not, Chell pushed her thumb up against the top, wincing when she was only rewarded with a sharp pain as the plastic dug into the pad of her finger. Sharper still was the shrill mechanical _blare _which was so loud that her entire body winced in displeasure. The ASHPD nearly jumping out of her grip, the bottle succeedeg in doing greater as it leaped from her fingers and hurtled to the floor, where it landed with a duet of clattering of pills and clash of plastic against tile.

_What the hell?_

Rapidly tiring of the computer's habit of scaring the absolute sanity out of her already-strained mind, Chell cast daggers in her glare, jerking the ASHPD higher so she could breathe harsh, angry breaths in the AI's optic just to piss her off, and hopefully gain some sort of leverage in the twisted game of theirs they seemed to be playing, in which the main card of choice was either shocking or seriously insulting your opponent. Her glare was countered by a stern oval of an aperture, its intensity a startling gold. The gold, a most precious metal by nature and even more so in terms of color, had her squinting her eyes at its imposed authority.

"I realize that you're seriously deranged, but you should honestly listen to me regarding this particular circumstance. I can assure you that you do **not **want to consume those."

Scrunching up her face, flaring her nostrils in defiance, Chell dropped her glare down to the floor. A few feet away, the bottle had rolled into the wall and now lay between two of the vertical machines; it was out of reach and it would be an impossible hassle to crawl between the machines and retrieve it. It was the perfect setting of events for the AI; honestly, Chell would not put it past GlaDOS to have planned it that way, gauging the woman's reactions and how she could use them to her advantage. It was truly manipulative, down to the core.

Eying the bottle a moment longer, a broken record of a growl sprouting in the back of her throat, the test subject focused on GlaDOS once more, though she kept her pupils away from the direct assault of her golden frontal attack, instead opting to stare accusingly at the plastic of the ASHPD directly below her.

_Pray tell, is there a particular motivation or horrible implication of why I wouldn't want to take them? Knowing you, you must enjoy these moments of agony under my expense, and don't care to see them alleviated. God knows I've never shown you anything even mildly relating to agony prior to this morbid voyage through your creators' past._

Unable to voice her frustrations, Chell settled for a violent twitch of her eyebrow, anger rising as the throbbing in her temples threatened to give rise to a headache. Her display was cut off, however, at the bellowed sound of yet another mechanical shriek. Her eyes now banished to a constant ringing, Chell felt frustration swelling, inflaming. Gritting her teeth, the test subject forced herself to avoid smashing her only weapon, and partial comrade partial guide, into the cherry red cabinet. Instead, she reluctantly donned a face of willfulness, though the only thing she found herself willful towards was relief from the painful ringing in her ears, the throbbing in her head, and constant snake bites of bitterness in her leg.

At the test subject's obvious façade, GlaDOS let out an amused chuckle, the sound urging the hair on Chell's arms to defensive alert, and for her indignation to hunch forward in offense.

"You want a reason? Well, all right then, but remember this: you asked for it, so therefore you cannot claim me responsible in any way for any cases of PTSD you may undergo later in your life. "

This was emphasized with another chuckle. Uneasiness rising, Chell forced it downwards with a surge of pride, nodding to the computer as her expression relaxed into one of indifference. Her expression was noted; GlaDOS' aperture swept over her features and then curled into a sadistic crescent that vibrated in her poorly constrained enthusiasm.

"Well, then. The truth is that they're actually constructed of toxic waste, similar to neurotoxin in liquid state, that have been enhanced with asbestos. The process of converting such a drug into solid form relates to how you roast a carcass of a dead animal, the stench quite the same as well. It's said that even inhaling the fumes will kill off your sense of smell."

Chell blinked, her eyes slowly widening at the disturbing ingredients of the pills. Of course, it didn't come as a massive surprise than even Aperture Innovators had held a fascination with neurotoxin and its relatives, but putting it in a drug was taking a stretch.

"Once the process of roasting them into existence is finished, they are stored at zero degrees kelvin for exactly 3.14 days, then they are removed. They are often coated in alcohol, the rubbing kind to elaborate, to make them easier to swallow while adding a most-desirable burning effect on the throat. Most addicts find the burning effect to be absolutely_ bewitching_."

Subconsciously swallowing the saliva in her throat, which was beginning to **burn** in her opinion, Chell glanced to Nadine, as if asking for her view on the matter. The bird chirped uncertainly, shuffling closer to the woman's face and nuzzling her cheek reassuringly. Softening at the gesture, the test subject lifted her hand to stroke the bird on her neck, simultaneously returning her attention to GlaDOS, whose optic had somehow narrowed back into a slit of plain distaste in the time span of her looking away and back again. Why became obvious when Chell considered what all had changed during that time frame: the location of her left hand.

A grin cracked at the corner of her mouth as she dropped her hand, instead resting it on top of the ASHPD rather than wrapping it around the barrel. The change in distance from Nadine and her hand had the desired effect; the computer's optic returned to its sly crescent almost instantly, though there was hesitation before she decided to speak again.

"Don't divert your attention to lesser life forms while I'm speaking,"

GlaDOS scolded, rolling her optic in exasperation.

"it's degrading for the human race."

Yearning to get back to the subject of the pills of opium whose ghoulish method of creation had already struck a disgusted chord inside herself, Chell simply nodded in agreement, cocking her head to the side and giving another bob of her head, urging GlaDOS to continue about the previous topic. Appearing undeniably pleased by the thread she had Chell tangled in, the thread known as 'human intuition', the computer launched back into her explanation, speaking more quickly than earlier, as if she had realized that she was participating in a habit that was not beneficial at all: procrastination.

"Aside from the feeling of the very flesh of your throat burning off shred by shred, other effects of using the drug include: hysteria, blood-shot eyes, loss of eyes, complete dismissal of all five senses excluding touch, hallucinations, bouts of crazed wailing, as well as strange mutations such as adopting strange skin patterns normally found in the amphibious and reptilian classes of animals."

Staring wide-eyed at GlaDOS, her jaw slack and mouth slightly open from shock, Chell concluded that her jurisdiction that opium was a painkiller was indeed misplaced. Glancing to the bottle huddled between the machines, then back to the AI, narrowing her eyes in suspicion of the truth of her words. Just as that suspicion arose, however-

"Tooma, I've already informed you that I'm incapable of lying, have I not?"

GlaDOS took on a slow, deliberate tone, speaking as if she was explaining a simple problem to a small child. Chell bristled, nodding her head frantically in defense. She knew that; it was nothing less than fact, a concrete fact that served as the vertebrae for their haphazardly balanced alliance. It was just that the drug's creation and effects seemed extremely horrid, indeed appalling, that disbelief was inevitable.

GlaDOS hummed a content note at the display, dropping and rising her optic in acknowledgment.

"Good. Now, as for the effects of consuming **opium**, one can expect misleading euphoria, emotional detachment, removal of st-"

Chell abruptly cut her off with a shake of the ASHPD, sending the articulate words into slurred nonsense. The ridicule of it did little to sweeten Chell's sour mood. Despite the AI's hatred of being shaken about, once Chell had stilled the gun and allowed her a minute of recovery, she started cackling in unrestricted delight, somehow managing to come across as cocky and chaste all in the same resonance.

Skin growing hot from anger, Chell pulled the portal device closer to herself, planning on receiving an apology or likewise-

_She lied._

Heart drumming, blood thrashing about in her veins, the heat from her emotions disappeared and Chell suddenly found herself very, very cold.

_She **lied**._

Shock slipping thorough every crevice in the trust the woman had put towards GlaDOS, working free the inner binds and breaking the entire structure apart. It was not abnormal for GlaDOS to lie. However, it was supposed to be that lying, such a natural aspect of the computer that it was definitely part of the mannerisms that composed her disposition, was an impossible feat due to her current form. Her weakened form was, in raw fact, incapable of veiling truths and non-truths, each identical as strands of hair.

Chell had grown accustomed to this assurance; with assurance came gradual certainty and a sense of leisure. The assurance that there was no possibility of her being led astray by someone who had no qualms of doing the leading had been hardened ash beneath her feet; it was the aftermath of a catastrophic event, though the ash was a fine blanket to conceal what had been ruined. It doubled as a suitable surface to tread on. Now, the ash was warming up, returning to lava, and when it did it would certainly scorch the ones who had been foolish enough to set foot upon its ruse.

Drawing the ASHPD away from herself, reacting slowly if only because of the unexpected stupor she found herself drowning in, Chell shuddered at the inquisitive sound the AI produced, unable to mask the incredulity she was confronted with. She stared at GlaDOS, her eyes gradually hardening into the reflection-less mirrors she had donned the moment the pair had set their sights on each other hundreds of year after their sleep, after their deaths. Shaking in what she hoped was rage, Chell stretched her hand farther from where it was on the portal device, approaching GlaDOS, approaching her-

"I didn't lie to you, you know."

Freezing in place, Chell hesitated cautiously, the correct deciphering of her thoughts by the AI giving her pause.

"In my earlier descriptions of the drug, I never specified a name of any sort; I always referred to my subject as 'them', 'they', 'the drug', or 'it'. Never did I say I was speaking about opium, therefore I could have been talking about **any **drug. It's possible that some concoction out there has those effects and is produced that way, although unlikely. Still, it's _possible_."

Still frozen, Chell swallowed thickly, breaths deep as they came, rushed as they went. She comprehended GlaDOS' words; they were logical, after all. However, the uncertainly was remaining, fading like fog with exhales and inhales, but it was leaving behind droplets of cold perspiration as a sort of tarnish.

Scanning the woman up and down, GlaDOS' aperture dimmed slightly, curling into an absolved half circle. This gave her an almost apologetic appearance, although it was obvious by the steady humming of her inner components, none of which faltered a half a second in their professions, that it was simply a mimicry and not a true display.

"It was nothing more than light teasing, Tooma. No worries; my voltage is still the same, as are my abilities and disabilities. When did you start becoming so paranoid? Relax a bit."

Her voice though, gentle without a trace of sarcasm or hidden intentions, was what ultimately released the tension in the woman's muscles, what gave her the energy to take her hand back and wrap it firmly around the barrel of the ASHPD and give it a squeeze.

_I became paranoid the moment I woke up in this madhouse._

Over time, the paranoia has lessened, but it had never truly left her conscience. It was ever-present, always on its toes waiting for a chance to lean forward and whisper warnings in her ear. Sometimes the warnings were called for, occasionally they were not. The expression, though, was that it was better to be have been cautious than to have been careless and have your life taken as a toll for it; here in Aperture, her caution was her greatest defense aside from her tenacity and the gun settled comfortably on her arm. It was in cases like this that Chell was reminded that it was a double-edged sword. Now she had to stop the blood, cover the wound lest she be drained of all that made her alive.

Bringing the ASHPD closer to herself, pulling it to her chest, Chell bowed her head as she closed her eyes and took a deep, stabilizing breath. Honestly, a reaction of this caliber to nothing more than playful jest was nothing short of ridiculous. When viewing it from a normal standpoint, it was a proceeding of incredible overreaction.

_But..for just those few instances when I thought that I had been deceived by the one I've come to admittedly trust partly since our forced cooperation.._

Cracking her eyes open, steeling her resolve, she gave herself the benefit of sight. With that benefit came the recognition of an alarmed AI, who was examining her with intensity.

_I was positively horrified._

Curling her lips just short of showing teeth, Chell closed her eyes and pulled her face into a rejuvenating grin, lowering her neck into her shoulders and angling her head in a pantomime of lightheartedness. She desired for the expression to dismiss any inkling of belief that she was troubled, to eradicate and erase. Nadine peeped quietly in her ear, and she opened her eyes to regard her quizzically.

The bird blinked once, twice, then darted forward, pinching the tip of Chell's nose with her beak in a soft bite. Pulling away in surprise, Chell's gaze fell on GlaDOS, who was looking upwards at her skeptically. At the resettling of concentration on her, the computer flickered her optic briefly, clicking it off completely as if she had closed her eyes as Chell had.

"A face of fraudulence does not suit you, so definitely don't attempt to wear such a look again."

Yellow glow returned as GlaDOS brought her aperture back to life, focusing in on the face of her test subject once more.

"Don't assume that you have to mock well-being for my sake; it's offensive! I'm far more than capable of handling a bit of unease and terror. In case you've forgotten, _**I **_am the dignified dictator of everything you see around you, and everything you've ever been in the ambiance of. I'm not feeble and frail, although my current state does suggest otherwise."

Chell didn't blink, nor shift, didn't bother offering a sign of acknowledgment. She simply listened, took in, and remembered.

"Considering that,"

GlaDOS' optic suddenly lurched in intensity, narrowing in unmistakable determination.

"Don't be reluctant to trust some pressure on me, for if that would assist you in releasing some emotional stress I'm far more than capable. I meant it when I said you needed to relax; you are too nervous and it's affecting you psychologically, which is proving to be a problem when navigating this maze in hell. Don't lose that caution you have, for it's crucial if we are going to get out of here alive, but don't have a break down over trifles either. Come closer."

This time, Chell did blink, astonished at the invitation. GlaDOS **hated **close physical proximity; why was she demanding it now? Still, the rare occurrence begged for obligation, so Chell concurred. Carefully hunching forward, she got closer, raising her eyebrows in confusion. GlaDOS merely hummed in satisfaction, the sound of her processors rumbling filling the silent void that was admittedly soothing, albeit perplexing. She soon spoke again though, her voice firm.

"It's true that those test subjects died in a brutal way back there."

Chell immediately started to recoil, but she was swiftly stopped by a stern glare, an unspoken instruction to remain where she was without fail. She yielded, leaning forward so that she was in the same position she had been in previously. Her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip, and her breath came in short bursts that conveyed her state of malaise. If the AI noticed, though, she gave no indication.

"It's also true that this place lacks what you know as 'humanity'. But truthfully, is that anything new? Are you in any greater extremes than you've already been in? Come on, now; it's quite pathetic that _**my murderer **_is allowing a change in setting and verminous sights get the better of her. Has it left your mind that you're a monster? Monsters shouldn't be frightened by immorality."

Stunned, confidence steadily growing as a stunned conscience acts as highly fertile ground, Chell eased the pressure off her lip. Her breaths subconsciously restoring to a normal pace, her face conformed into one of agreeing purpose. She _was _a monster- the human who had fought the odds and ends, defeated the warden of her compressing prison. Although her blessings had been limited, she'd done it. She'd done it twice, to strengthen the AI's point further.

Immorality. It was lack of humanity. It practically summed up Aperture itself. Over time, Chell had gotten used to the absence. She wasn't prepared, however, for a blatant display for the complete **disregard** for morality that had been shown by the room with white tiles stained crimson, the room where a bronze knob was all that lay between the opener of the door and dozens of bloodied suits of those who had once lived and breathed the exact same air that she required now.

Being caught off guard had toppled the hold she had steadily gained on herself throughout the horrific trials she'd been part of in Aperture; the columns had collapsed and thus so had the holy temple they held up.

The collapsed stone from the temple had impeded their progress, as well as torn an opening in Chell's firmness. She was as determined to escape as ever, but fear and dejection had pounded on her skull, commanding her to give them entry to her brain.

That door was never open, but just as oxygen and dust have the ability to squeeze beneath it, so had the pair. When it came down to it, the crack beneath the door had grown substantially due to her injury, and the fresh abundance of insecurities and difficulties it brought with it. That was what had widened the distance enough so that invasion was imminent.

Their presence in her mind had eaten away at her, left her on the edge. She had come close to falling off it completely at the sight of what she had absolved to call **The Room**. It would be humiliating for her to do so, though; GlaDOS was correct when it was pathetic that the atmosphere and gruesome sights were tearing her apart. Hardening her eyes even more, the silver color nearly as hard and unyielding as silver metal itself, Chell set her jaw with intent.

GlaDOS cast her with a steady look.

"Don't allow me to overestimate you. I am highly intolerable towards miscalculations."

She wouldn't let anything gain an advantage over her again. Her life, her escape, depended on it. Nodding resolutely, she pulled away from the ASHPD, her trademark look reappearing. Though, where once her mouth had existed in a straight line, it was presently curled upwards into a confident smirk, and there was a mischievous glint in previously cold irises.

GlaDOS' aperture brightened accordingly, curved into a sure crescent that radiated esteem. Chell allowed a swift detention of gratitude: a fleeting instance of sentimentality. Then it passed, and with its departure came progression.

Chell stepped to the next door, there were only two of them-one for each side of the cabinet, pulling it open with a brisk yank. Inside, the far wall was covered completely by a calendar. The scene it depicted was that of a flourishing field of golden plants, their stalks suspended in a natural limbo of continuous sway.

The month, August, boasted itself in deliberately scripted lettering above the landscape of wheat, the color of the letters roughly the same as the plant stalks themselves. In each date square, instead of events being scribbled into them were bulleted lists of names. On the 6th day, sandwiched between the names Lucas Hartmann and Hadrian Thorton, was Gabriel Gauntlett.

_'Gabriel Gauntlett' was in those test subject logs. That means that this calendar must display the scheduled days for certain test subjects' testing._

Noting that not a single square was left empty, scanning over the calendar in rushed examination, Chell's forehead scrunched as she recognized another significant fact.

_All of these days are filled, yet not one name repeats twice. _

Biting the inside of her cheek, the woman diverted herself from looking at the calendar, instead scouring the inside of the cabinet for any final tools of use. The left and right sides bore nothing. As far as the tenants went, the sole occupant was an unusual-looking contraption. It was circular, although was slightly slanted, throwing off what could have been a perfect 360 degrees.

It was propped up with thick black stoppers, lifting it upwards half an inch or so. The actual object was sleek black as well, with the Aperture Innovators logo branded in blue in the center. It was flat and not very long, though not thin; the thing was at least five inches thick. Likely, that was to compensate for all of its components. However, for something that apparently housed so much, the object was bland and seemed without use.

_Which begs the question,_

Chell mused, carefully tucking a hand underneath the contraption and lifting it experimentally to find it surprisingly light.

_What exactly is this?_

Wary of dropping the machine, she set it back inside the cabinet, settling it on its rubber supports one by one until she was certain that it was stable. Only then did she remove her hand from underneath it and give a snap. GlaDOS dragged her gaze from the contraption back to the test subject at the sound, humming thoughtfully.

"That almost resembles an external hard drive. However, it's missing one crucial aspect: a universal serial bus cord."

At Chell's clueless expression, she sighed.

"A USB cord. You know, the cord which you would plug into a computer's port? Surely you've seen enough computers with keyboards connected to them in the forbidden parts of my facility that you have scampered about in to be familiar with what I'm referring to."

GlaDOS huffed irritably after saying it, and Chell couldn't resist a taunting smirk, getting closer to the ASHPD and nodding with her smirk still in place. The proximity and teasing were met with an unimpressed, half-moon stare. The AI did, however, acknowledge her nod with a bob of her optic, using the movement as a vehicle to glide her aperture up towards the contraption once again.

"How relieving. That's one misunderstanding cleared. Unfortunately, there's still another: the purpose and probable usefulness of that device."

Regarding the device herself, Chell gradually pulled herself away from the quantum gun and her partner, restoring her height so she was able to get a view of the contraption from her higher perspective. It was true that it lacked a cord; it lacked any sort of attachment for that matter.

_This isn't meant to plug into anything. Rather, it's supposed to stand alone, as far as its purpose goes. It can't be just a decoration..could it? No, it's just a circle-shaped object; where's the appeal in that?_

Tapping her chin in thought, Chell reached a decision. Turning mindfully on her heel, she staggered back to the computer desks, passing over the logo on the floor and coming to a stop in front of the foremost desk to the right. Unlike the desk to the left, the right desk did not bear a radio on its surface.

Making use of the free space, Chell placed the ASHPD where the radio would have been, taking care to make sure that the gun did not touch the ancient computer even minutely. GlaDOS wore an expression of edginess, which Chell attempted slight alleviation of with a revitalizing pat to the top of ASHPD's barrel. A minor raise in her optic's light was her only indication of the uneasiness' dispelling, and although that wasn't a compelling indicator, the woman chose to take it as such, and made her way back to the cabinet.

Both hands free without the weapon, Chell took the black contraption in both hands, noting that it was about nine inches in length. Shifting it left and right in, she gave another test of its weight. It was still unbelievably light. Bringing it closer to her face, an action that spurred Nadine's interest and instigated her to get closer and lean forward on her clawed toes, Chell rotated it slowly. Aside from the blue logo, there were no adornments.

_There has to be some way to activate this, or at least use it. The fact that it's in an observation office gives me reason to believe that it assisted in monitoring tests, or similarly. _

Frustrated, she gripped the contraption at either side, tugging in opposite directions with unrestrained force, grunting.

_But why won't the damned thing **do **anything?_

Refusing to abandon the object, her stubborn will wanting nothing other than to discover its purpose and utilize it for her own benefit, Chell ignored the words of caution from the super computer. The last concern on her mind was for the contraption's welfare. Still, despite the rough treatment, the object didn't yield to the pressure. Instead it almost seemed to become sturdier and thicker, if such offensive contradiction was permitted.

Relenting, finally, the test subject relaxed her arms, cradling the contraption in a loose hold. She peered down at it, brows knit in agitated puzzlement. Nothing about it was different from before; her strength, which was plenty formidable in terms of against average objects, hadn't an effect on it at all. That in itself was a clue, an indirect clue, but the woman's mind that had become accustomed to solving complex puzzles that tested the very strings of her abilities picked up on it effortlessly.

_This black..disk is sturdy and thick. It's most likely a container of some sort._

Though, that didn't explain how she was going to pry it open and delve into its contents. Considering Aperture's habit of making the simple extraordinarily complicated, brute force would probably get her no where. Tucking the disk into the crook of her left elbow and freeing her right arm, she coasted her fingertips across its sleek surface.

The marks of her finger pads, etched onto the surface by her skin's natural oils, disappeared seconds after being formed on the black contraption. Pressing her pointer finger onto it and holding it there for a few long seconds, she acted on an assumption. When she pulled her finger away, the finger print was lost in the same amount of time as the prints that had been formed just at minimal contact.

_The surface on this disk is specifically designed **not **to show finger prints. That could be for aesthetics, but.._

Jerking the disk back into the grip of both hands, she moved one over top of it, and one underneath. She began painstakingly slowly dragging her fingers across the surface, both on the top and underneath. The texture was flawless, and she could see the trails she left with her traces evaporate, removing the tarnishing and restoring perfection.

Chell was grateful for its relatively small size; it was easy to cover the entire expanse of its surface when there wasn't much of it to begin with. On the bottom of the disk, as her fingers drifted across, she suddenly felt a light vibration under her pinky. Freezing the digit completely, she gently pushed up at the same location. The vibration occurred again, almost ticklish against her skin.

Keeping her pinky there, she spread her hand out, her other fingers searching briskly for the corresponding spots which would logically be in reach. Sure enough, her pointer finger, then her index, and eventually all her fingers on that hand found the vibrating pressure points.

Deliberately tensing her hand so her fingers would not move from their positions, she haphazardly balanced the disk with her spread hand underneath it. Then, she searched the top for their points. However, even after she'd explored the top with meticulous searching three more times, she had not found a single one.

Her arm growing sore was supporting the contraption, she aspired to uncover the points as soon as possible. Reasoning that an increase in pressure might prove advantageous, Chell pushed down on the top harder, coasting her hand along the black. She nearly jumped when she passed over the blue logo and there was a sharp click when her thumb lingered longer on it than her other fingers. Dragging her others back, she pressed on it again. The top of the logo caved in, followed by the sharp click.

_Aah, I see. _

Grinning in triumph, she spread her fingers so that they were around the logo, forming their own circle around the aperture.

_How clever. _

Glancing to Nadine with a wink, she then looked over her shoulder at the desks, catching sight of GlaDOS watching what she could from her poor vantage point. At the woman's look, her optic lit up a bright gold to catch her attention. Tilting her head and nodded, Chell gave it, albeit briefly, applying moderate pressure to the logo in anticipation.

"Have you finished groping that yet, Tooma? Honestly, you humans and your peculiarities."

GlaDOS sounded disgusted, although it was more probable that she was bitter towards being left without the transportation and increased protection her test subject offered. Regardless of their surroundings, being in a vulnerable state that was susceptible to damage kept the AI on edge; her best defense against the elements and chance at restoration of her position was Chell herself.

Offering GlaDOS a reassuring grin, Chell turned back to the disk. Waiting a moment, she took in the vibrations, enjoying the relaxing feeling. But, not eager to prolong her wait, she pressed down forcefully on the logo. It sunk in completely with a keen snap, and the contraption let loose a powerful burst of air around her fingers. The burst was akin to those of air locks, and Chell turned her neck to shield her face against the aggressive oxygen accordingly.

Her fingers supporting the disk abruptly were shot upwards by an unseen force, and the ones atop the logo were pulled inside just as suddenly. Yelping in shock, Chell stumbled backwards, barely catching herself before she stepped too roughly with her left leg and caused herself a tumble. She could hear GlaDOS, and although she tried to twist herself to face her, she found herself incapable.

"Hey! What happened over there? Can't you hear me?"

GlaDOS was alarmed, but Chell did not have a method of communicating to her; her hands were rendered useless, and without the ability to turn and show her any expression any hopes at conveying herself were lost. Nadine was pacing quickly up and down her shoulders, squawking warningly at the disk that had her human bound.

Fighting her body's impulse to increase her heart rate and breathing rate, Chell allowed her arms to go slack rather than fight whatever was holding her to the disk; a useless fight would only cause harm at this point. As soon as the tension in her arms was released, she experienced a significant lessening in the intensity of the pull on her. Taking that as a good omen, she remained still, ignoring the shouts of her partners.

An electric tingle ran up her arms, prompting a shiver that reached down to her toes. Though, that reaction was not as major as the one she experienced as she witnessed the black contraption fall apart, pieces of its fine being clatter to the ground and a steady gray glow be exposed with each piece that went. One by one, the bits of the shell around her hands fell away, revealing her hands that were curled around a hovering, dark gray orb. The force keeping them curled around it didn't relent until the last part of the disk had hit the ground and stilled. Only then were her hands released, and the orb landed innocently into the palm of her hand.

Hurriedly reclaiming her other hand and drawing it to her chest, Chell blinked rapidly in bewilderment at the ball resting in her hand, the ruined contraption at her feet. It **had **held something, and now she held that something herself. The possession was small, light, and quite unimpressive aside from the fact that it had pulled her hands in to protect itself as its defense literally crumbled to pieces. Needless to say, the sphere in her hand enthralled her. Nadine's soft, worried chirp brought her back to reality. Quickly, she twisted, turning her body and rushing over to GlaDOS. The AI shot her a strict look, softened by relief.

"Oh, thank god; I thought you'd had your face blown to bits by that Frisbee. What were you doing over there? Save the destruction for the moron, won't you?"

Closing the distance between them after that sentence, Chell leaned her side against the desk and shoved the orb close to the AI's aperture, causing it to narrow and her to buzz in contempt. Once she caught sight of what the woman held, though, she looked it over carefully, optic widening in interest.

"That was inside it? It certainly sounded, at least from seven feet and five point five inches away, like that contraption was difficult to open, and it had pressurized air inside it as well; that's nothing useless, by no doubt. What does it do?"

_I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me. _

Chell shrugged, rolling it in her hand. It was smooth, but unlike any other device or machinery else down in Aperture Innovators, it was _**warm**_. Rivaled only by the body heat of Nadine, the mysterious ball was soothing in her grip, and eerily felt alive. Encouraged by the possession of 'nothing useless', Chell tapped the ball, then her head, smirking confidently.

"Aren't you undeniably confident in your abilities again."

The display had GlaDOS rolling her optic, yet there was a hint of approval in her voice.

"That's better than you constantly darting your eyes about in nervousness or losing your composure constantly, though, I admit."

The corner of Chell's mouth twitched in indignation, but she swallowed her pride and gave her response with a swift lift of the ASHPD, fastening it to her arm again and relishing in the comforting weight of the gun. Her AI partner shared that relief; she regained her optic's usual intensity after Chell had cautiously deposited the gray orb into the empty pocket of her jumpsuit and gripped the ASHPD with both hands as was protocol.

Pushing herself off the desk, Chell swayed slightly before gathering her balance and setting off towards the door that led out of the office, flashlight swinging across her chest and the strange ball a heavy weight in her pocket. Banishing this office for the next, when she reached the door she gripped its handle in a tight fist, pushing it open.

What it led to was a hallway identical to the one they'd entered the office from; windows on the left and right once again displayed beautiful silver beams lined with orange and blue lights and white cobwebs of wires beneath them instead of the scenery of the prior enrichment sphere. The difference between the two windows, again, was that the one on the left provided a view of the outer shell of the sphere, while the one on the right only offered beams and wires; the rest was a vast ambiguity.

Stepping out of the office and into the passage, Chell glanced left again, spotting the end of the sphere a couple of feet ahead. Not too farther was the elevator, its blunt metal construction a marring insult to the excellence the hallway otherwise presented. Peering out of each window as she limped to the lift, Chell briefly removed her left hand from the ASHPD to stroke Nadine gently on her neck to calm her stressed peeps. The contact worked, and the peeps collapsed into pleased coos that continued after Chell had returned her palm to its position underneath the barrel of the portal gun.

As they got closer to the elevator, Chell's chest constricted when she noticed a startling characteristic of the machinery; the pulley, which was visible, lacked a wire to pull the lift upwards. Modern Aperture's lifts were propelled upwards by strong currents of air that shot them through the tubes. Every time Chell had set foot in one for her ride to the next chamber, she had heard the air whistling around the elevator, and it often took joy in rustling her hair whenever the doors opened to the test. However, Aperture Innovators hadn't had that technology, clearly. A lack of a wire for the outdated pulley system broadcast its uselessness.

Quickening her pace, the woman approached the lift, irritation biting at her when conspicuous bursts of electricity visibly sparked from the machinery. Able to read the signs and being reluctant to test them herself, she halted before it, glaring with a critical stare at the malfunctioning and useless elevator. GlaDOS' reaction was not any less offended.

"Well, I rest my case. This wasteland is home to the most fragile and unreliable technology that I've seen yet."

Fists clenching, Chell scanned the hallway for any alternate routes or doorways. Coming to realize that the hallway was empty aside from the windows and elevator, she let out an angry hiss through her teeth, turning her back to the elevator, she started a slow walk back to the office, looking to GlaDOS with an earnest expression, yearning for advice.

"There's no way you can head back; all that lies in that direction is testing, and I think we both know that you couldn't manage a jump on a single aerial faith plate, more or less the experimental upward propelling by repulsion gel."

Affronted, Chell huffed, coming to a stop and fastening the computer with a condescending look. The AI herself took on an assertive stance, her aperture narrowed and inner processors humming louder than was entirely necessary. In a split battle of will, the two found themselves evenly matched, neither with an advantage, nor either with a disadvantage.

"Don't argue with me. You know as well as I do that it's physically impossible for you with that mangled appendage. I don't doubt that you have the thick head that will get you killed one day to march down there, however."

Appeasing, Chell silently sighed, shifting her left leg when it was mentioned. Going back would be useless, and frankly impossible, as GlaDOS had pointed out. Where else was there to go though, when the route in front of them had been severed as easily as wires with a pair of impeccable wire cutters?

Taking a couple of steps forward, toward the office, Chell slipped the gray orb out of her pocket. With an expert hand, she tossed it into the air, then deftly caught it. She continued the tossing until the third step, where she stopped after catching the orb from its flight. Lifting it to her face, she tilted her head; where once the orb had been a dull gray, it currently possessed an almost white color. The color was familiar, and a stray glance out of the corner of her eye confirmed it. The orb was the color of the silver beams, the silver casing of the enrichment sphere.

_This is surely of importance. A signal, maybe. What could have spurred it, though?_

Rolling it in her palm, Chell made a point to make sure that GlaDOS saw it, and when the AI did she picked up on the of the color change as the test subject had. At GlaDOS' urging, Chell took a couple of steps backward, observing the orb as she did so. It faded to a fog on the first step, and back to the despondent gray at the second. Moving ahead two paces so that the ball was silver again and turning around to face the elevator, the woman concentrated deeply, pondering.

In her contemplative mood, she subconsciously settled most of her weight on her right, healthy leg, her body swinging that direction as well. Immediately, the silver sphere in her palm lit up a strong white, pulsating and vibrating as well. The change in its appearance and state startled the woman, sparked her nerves which reacted by controlling her legs so that she stumbled farther right.

Chell's shoulder bumped into the glass, sending jolts of pain that had her wincing and turning her neck to glower at the offending sheet of transparency. Her glower was sliced short of its height when she caught sight of the glass _rippling _like water, an invisible tide pulling it in chronic waves. Transfixed, Chell straightened herself, standing in front of the window with awe washed upon her visage.

Nadine was silent, watching the ripples with fascination. GlaDOS was as well, although her distrusting stare and disproving clicks were not parallel to the impressions of the rest of the trio. When Chell neared the glass even more, her nose nearly touching its slithering coat, the AI gave her warning.

"Tooma, glass is, I assure you, **not** supposed to move in that manner. Perhaps in its lesser form of sand, but not as the material of windows and mirrors. It isn't natural; it's possible that it's dangerous, at least for you organic mammals. I propose that you don't get any closer, if only to stop yourself from combusting in a most unpleasant fashion from exposure to deadly glass."

At the absurdity of the notion, Chell chuckled audibly, earning her the AI's surprise. Still, she obeyed, and didn't walk any closer. Rather, she stretched the arm that she was grasping the silver orb with towards the window, her focus having communed with belief.

The small amount of distraction of her chuckle, being a noise and noises being so unexpected from the test subject, allowed her enough relief from GlaDOS' warnings and scoldings for her to touch the orb to the glass with a soft _clink_. Then, the movement of the glass abruptly stilled, instilling an absence that swallowed everything in its wake, leaving nothingness.

"You idiot! I just told you not to get closer, and here you are trying to break through the window with that perfectly sized replica of your brain. Tooma, take that away from the glass this instant before-"

She didn't get to complete her lecture. A shrill whistling filled the corridor, so shrill that it burrowed into Chell's ears and thrashed wildly enough that she nearly dropped the orb and the ASHPD to cover her ears, to stop the noise. However, the whistling did not last longer than a couple of seconds, and then it was gone, out of her ears. In its place was a shuddering pane of glass in front of Chell and her two partners, and a blindingly white orb whose purpose rapidly became as clear as the glass it altered.

Pulling the orb back did nothing to cease the shuddering of the window, and it shone as brightly as it had when in direct contact with the glass, almost as if it had sprung to life from its dormancy from merely touching heated sand. Strangely enough, it never grew in the degree of its heat. Due to that, Chell gripped it tightly, as if doing so would prevent it from escaping and ensure their survival.

The shuddering increased as the pane of glass began to ease _inwards_, inside the silver vicinity with its beams and wires. With a slow pace, the pane folded backwards on itself, not even remotely touching or disturbing a single beam with its movement. There was a series of rapid clicks, and then there was silence.

_This place gets more supernatural with each passed minute. What is the reasoning behind having glass panes that can fold backwards and leave gaping holes in windows, exposing the inner construction of a testing sphere and its supports? Honestly..._

Backing away from the gap in the window, letting out a shaky breath she'd been holding, Chell unraveled her fingers away from the orb. The once white ball was once again a bleak gray, unimpressive and frankly unassuming. Still, the memories of the past minutes were strung together tightly, and were quite strong enough to resist the blades of presumption.

She tucked the orb back into her pocket, dropping her gaze in mild trepidation to GlaDOS. The AI proved that trepidation worthy, for her immediate action was to viciously glower at her test subject, angry clicks and violent lashings of her optic from side to side further adding to the scene.

"You couldn't listen, could you? What would you have done if you'd fallen through that? I'll tell you what you would have done. You would have gotten your neck caught in those wires and effectively strangled yourself. Is that how you want to end your life? Do you **want **to strangle yourself, Tooma?"

The computer grumbled irritably after her small outburst, words of irrelevance to console after wielding sharp words that wounded both the recipient and the throat of the speaker. Chell clicked her nails on the ASHPD, giving a small grin as reassurance that she hadn't managed to strangle herself, despite her sin of not being obedient of the queen's advice. GlaDOS still wasn't assured, though, evident by her narrowed and dark-shaded optic.

"You're fortunate that you didn't. You probably won't be next time, though, so don't allow 'next time' to even become a possibility."

Somberly giving a nod, the woman dismissed her partner with a squint through the gap in the glass, cautiously claiming a foot ahead, then another, until her toes rested where the floor fell away to the abyss strewn with pulsing, electric wires. Immediately, freezing air rushed to greet her, fervid against her skin. Chell knew GlaDOS didn't approve of her position, not at all, but the computer appeared to be occupied with examining the strange window and the area outside it; the chances were that she was contemplating why Aperture's past self would implement it as well.

There was a fair amount of suspicion from Chell towards the orb, too. It was obvious that it's purpose was to open the pane of glass, but why? What lay beyond that required a sphere that was securely held in a complicated stand that required precise finger placement to open? Not receiving any answers from her mind, Chell tapped her left toe of her boot thoughtfully against the tile floor.

The web of wires underneath the beams _pitched _towards her, and she flinched at the rough motion. GlaDOS shot her attention to the wires after their movement, watching them attentively for any further action. Chell tapped her foot again, ignoring the growing pain in favor of animating the white wires. Once more, at the sound of her tap they leaped upwards, straining as their restrictions forced them down.

Fully aware that what she was doing classified as baiting, the test subject took an even larger risk, pursing her lips and forming a whistle between her lips. The web practically thrashed at the noise, rocking from side to side as if it was trying to free itself from whatever held it in its grip. Possessed by fascination for the spectacle, Chell aligned her hand in the ASHPD's chamber, and pressed her thumb against the blue button.

Traveling at the speed of light, it did not take the blue portal long to come into contact with one of the construction beams, after which it burst into nonexistence due to the lack of a suitable surface for itself. It also didn't take long for the sound that it made shortly after being called into being to resonate through the vicinity, increasing in volume as it produced an echo that sent the wires underneath Chell's feet into a frenzy.

They swelled, an imitation crest of a wave, then abruptly jerked upwards with such force that their compressor relinquished its grip on them and allowed them free reign. In celebration of that freedom, they dove up, individual wires sparking wildly as the entire network speedily yanked itself free of its delve.

Staggering back away from the dangerous wires that advertised a nasty shock should she get too close, Chell turned to peer out of the neighboring glass pane. Craning her neck up to follow the hurrying wires as they latched onto the beams and used them as supports to clamber higher, her look her utter disbelief was reflected in the window that no longer served as a barrier, but instead as a protective shield from the desperate escape underway. Agile, the wires weaved their path away from their prison, and the test subject experienced the taste of bitter envy.

Breaking her gaze away at the sound of metallic groaning, Chell cast her eyes down to the underbelly of the area where the web of escapees had once been spun. Her eyes widened, and she could feel rather than hear GlaDOS' own breath of wonder.

Being gradually raised by the ends of the wires that had long since scampered into the non-visible heights of the beams, was a protesting catwalk. The wires had tightly wound themselves around its railings like threads of silk around insect prey, ridding any prospect of a loss of grip on the formation of metal. As the wires climbed higher, the catwalk rose closer and closer to the height of the passage; the wires were nothing greater than transports for the unexpected third route that the trio simultaneously realized was their new path out of this pen conformed to fence in their dexterity.

Keeping an eye on the steadily approaching catwalk, Chell pressed the portal device close to herself, briefly regarding GlaDOS. The computer met her gaze evenly, darting to the catwalk and back to her in a fluid motion.

"It appears we'll be taking a detour in this detour. Let's not loiter; get moving across that catwalk as soon as you feel that you're able."

Certainty crafting a lopsided grin messily on her face, Chell guardedly limped over to the hole in the window, ignoring the impulse to shiver.

_Sounds like a plan. Detours happen to not only be usually less trouble and faster than the usual routes,_

When the wires decided that their height was of enough significance, they stopped their swift climbing of the beams, and Chell advanced onto the creaking catwalk that had come to a stop directly level with the floor of the passage, aligned perfectly with the gap that the orb had opened. The walk may have been protesting, but its stability was true and not without value. Its destination was uncertain, but fate itself was as well.

_But I've also had rather **considerable **luck following the paths forbidden to me._

Limping across a metal bridge suspended by a runaway web whose spider had perished with time, everyone's mortal enemy, the woman fixed the direction in front of her with stubborn resolve. With the departure from the passage, accompanied by moans of dire from the support beneath her boots, the woman's lips curved towards her cheek bones to reveal rows of teeth, bared in mute jeer to the unknown which was dreaded by no one, embraced by three.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Salut, Em here~! Woah, it's been..geez, two months or so? Have an update! <strong>_

_**This chapter took a long while to write, likely because I procrastinated starting it for a couple weeks, then put it down and gave myself several week-long breaks before opening it up again. I'll stop that, I swear. Anyways, posting this a biiiit late (midnight, aha), so there may be some grammatical mistakes. If you notice any, feel free to shoot me a pm and I'll fix 'em. Also! I've increased the spacing of my paragraphs, so things should be a bit easier to read now. ;D Let me know if there's anything else I can do to increase your reading pleasure!**_

_**Hope you enjoyed chapter eight! This chapter is now officially the longest one in Inflessi, coming in at a hefty 31 pages. You have no idea how tired I am. Now I can collapse. But ah, before I do, in response to 'Guest':**_

**_Nadine herself is not fluorescent. The green markings, however, do glow when touched, or when the feathers they are on are disturbed or ruffled. Basically, a change in their position or contact from an external source will cause her green markings to illuminate. As for the black on the majority on her, though, no. Also, who knows why/if Cave Johnson did ANYTHING? c; Aah, I hope you like speculation!_**

_**All right guys, I'm out. Happy late fourth of July! Emerald-Em, over and out.**_


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